Seminole Wind
by reenactor43
Summary: CSI: Miami/NCIS Contains an OC. A Seminole GySgt fresh from Iraq is murdered in his home. Now, the CSI's have to team up with NCIS and FBI to figure out who did it. T for language and racial epithets PLEASE R
1. Introduction

_**SEMINOLE WIND**_

**_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN EITHER SHOW(CSI:MIAMI OR NCIS). CBS DOES._**

'It's good to be home.' That was the thought that kept repeating and echoing in Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Bearcloud's mind. See, GySgt Bearcloud had just gotten back from a six-month tour in Iraq. He was in the Marines, on leave, and had eagerly picked up where he had left off, as a tribal police officer. One more thing you should know is that Samuel was a full-blooded Seminole, known throughout the Marine Corps as "Coyote" for his tracking skill. Samuel had just walked into his home when his phone rang.

"Hello, this is Samuel Bearcloud."

"Mr. Bearcloud? This is Thomas Denvers with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We here at BIA have been going over original tribal lands for several tribes on the East Coast, the Seminoles included. It seems that there are several hundred acres on the original map, that has not been claimed by anyone. The land has been examined, and it is perceived that it is quality land."

"Well, why are you telling me this? I am not in charge of tribal land."

"Yes, well the number of the person in charge of tribal lands on your end was not listed."

GySgt Bearcloud became suspicious suddenly. "Okay, well, I can bring this information before the tribal council at the next meeting. Do you have a number where I can reach you?"

"Just dial the BIA and ask for me." Now Samuel was even more suspicious. He decided to bring in some help on this. He calls the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. Paula, the receptionist answers. "Hello, this is the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. How may I help you?"

"My name is Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Bearcloud. I am looking for a CSI by the name of Jesse Thunder."

"CSI Thunder should be clocking out any minute now. Let me page him." Paula dials the number for Jesse's pager, and it goes off while Jesse is talking to Eric.

"Hey Jesse, I need some help man."

"Eric, what's up? Everything okay?"

"Yeah but-" Now comes the pager. "But what? We can talk on the way to the desk."

"Okay. It's about Calleigh. When she almost died after that fire, in that hospital not breathing, all the doctors swarming around her, I felt like I was being ripped apart. I'm not sure I can go through that again without her knowing how I feel about her."

"Just tell her man. I know it seems like it's something that is so hard to do, but you have to do it. You might not get a second chance. I doubt Calleigh has left yet, so just go wait by the locker room. Talk with her, invite her over for dinner sometime, I don't really know what else to say. Hey Paula, what's up?"

"Jesse, a call for you."

"Thanks. Jesse Thunder here."

"Jesse, it's me. Samuel Bearcloud."

"Hey, Sam. Everything alright?" "Yeah, but I got a weird phone call a little bit ago. Some guy claimed he was from the BIA and had found several hundred acres of quality land that originally belonged to the Seminole tribe, and yet the tribal land manager did not have a listed phone number in their database. Then, I asked if he had another number where I could reach him. He said just call the BIA and ask for him."

"Huh. That does sound a little hinky. Tell you what, I'll drive out there with some backup right now. See you out at the reservation."

Jesse turns around and gets Eric to go with him. They encounter Calleigh along the way, and she joins. Jesse finds Frank Tripp about to leave. "Hey, Frank. How'd you like to earn some overtime?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I got a fraud case. Just one problem. I don't know any fraud detectives. You interested?"

"Yeah, I could use some overtime." Jesse then encounters Horatio. "Hey, H. I'm heading out to the reservation with Calleigh, Eric, and Frank."

"What's the purpose?"

"We have a possible case lead."

"Okay, I will go with you."

Meanwhile, the man known as Thomas Denvers is on the phone with a malicious grin on his face.

"Yeah, boys the injun bastard is taking the bait. We have to make a move tonight. As in, five minutes."

The problem for Samuel Bearcloud was that Thomas Denvers was not from the BIA. Mr. Denvers was from a newly formed terrorist organization that had taken the name Second Confederacy. The other problem for GySgt Bearcloud was that the Second Confederacy was much closer to him than the Miami-Dade CSI's were. Which meant Samuel Bearcloud was about to die.

Thirty minutes after leaving the crime lab, the mini-convoy of MDPD officers arrives at Samuel Bearcloud's residence. Jesse senses trouble immediately. Going to the door, he notices blood on the handle. "Guys, we have blood on the door knob." The CSI's draw their guns and enter the residence. A chorus of yells of "Miami-Dade Police!" reverberate througout the house. Jesse moves forward and clears room after room. He finds Samuel Bearcloud on the floor of the kitchen. "Call rescue! We got a live one! Sammy, hang in there for me. Stay with me, brother."

"Not.. not going.. to.. happen, man. I'm... dying. Do..me.. one.. last.. favor. Call.. Special.. Agent.. Gibbs.. at.. NCIS."

"I promise I will, Sam. Just try and hang on." His words prove worthless, however, as GySgt Samuel Bearcloud, proud Seminole, and reknowned Marine let go of life.

**SO HOW'S THAT FOR A STARTING CHAPTER?**


	2. Calling for Help

_**CALLING FOR HELP**_

_**I WISH TO THANK PETLOVERS4EVER, DREAMERCHILD88, AND BABYGURL1944 BELATEDLY FOR THEIR REVIEWS OF THE FIRST CHAPTER.**_

**NCIS BUILDING, NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.**

Director Jennifer Shepard, NCIS, is in her office when her phone rings. "Shepard."

"Hello, am I speaking to NCIS Director Jenny Shepard?"

"Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes, ma'am, you can. My name is Jesse Thunder, and I am calling on behalf of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. I have a case for your organization. A man was killed on the Seminole reservation here. The kicker is that he was a Marine named Samuel Bearcloud. Now, I know that the FBI handles all crime on Native American reservations, but I'm sure you'll find a way to get involved."

"That much is certain, Mr. Thunder. Thank you for your call; I will send my best team down right away." Director Shepard hung up the phone, only to pick it up again and call the director of the FBI and inform him of the fact that NCIS was not going to let this case pass them by, and the FBI director agreed to a joint-investigation. She set the phone down again, and asked Cynthia to make travel arrangements for five to Miami.

Just then, Gibbs walks in. He had managed to catch the last part about travel arrangements, and asked, "You taking a trip I don't know about, Jen?"

"No, but you are. Your team is being sent to Miami to work with not only the FBI, but also the local CSI's. A Seminole Marine was murdered. Your job is to do what you always do." Gibbs turned and walked out without another word.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Timothy McGee was where he usually was, behind his computer, checking his e-mail. Finding nothing that couldn't wait, he decided to find some music to play. then, the elevator dinged. In walks Mossad Liason Officer Ziva David, followed a few minutes later by Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. None of them had a chance to speak before Gibbs uttered three famous words. "Grab your gear!"

"Where to, boss?"

"Miami, Florida. McGee, see what you can find on a Samuel Bearcloud; he's the reason we're going. DiNozzo, get Ducky, tell him to meet us out front. Ziva, get the car." All three went their separate directions, while Gibbs went to find more coffee.

The team met up in front of the NCIS building. The next destination is the airport. The flight leaves at nine o'clock, with the team on it. Three hours later, the plane wheels touch down. A taxi is grabbed, and Gibbs orders the dirver to take them to their hotel, the Bailey. The taxi arrives in fifteen minutes. "Fifteen minues. Hpmh. I could have made it in five."

"Ziva, there's the reason we don't want you driving. The terror that is your driving does not need to be unleashed on these innocent civilians." "Tony, I will overlook that minor insult, and not give in to temptation."

"Oh, really? What temptation would that be?"

"Killing you with a paperclip. I just learned a nineteenth technique." Tony's eyes widen, and color drains from his face. Ziva laughs hysterically. "Tony, Tony, Tony. You're too funny to do that to. Besides, Gibbs wouldn't let me."

Meanwhile McGee had gone inside to get the keys to their rooms. "Hey, boss. We have a problem. There were only four rooms booked."

"I'd say that's a problem McGee. Ziva, try not to kill Tony while you're with him in the room. Tony, try not to aggravate Ziva enough to make her want to kill you."

"We're taking a room together boss?"

"As I recall, it isn't the first time, DiNozzo. Don't argue." Gibbs smirked at the expression on his two best field agent's faces. "Do I have to make that an order?"

"No, boss."

"Good answer, DiNozzo, good answer."

The team goes to thier respective rooms to freshen up, then journey to the dining room for dinner. Midway through, Gibbs' phone rings. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, I am CSI Jesse Thunder. Your director called me and said that you would be at the Bailey hotel. She also gave me your number. Where exactly in the Bailey are you?"

"Dining room."

"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes and the case can be discussed." Gibbs hangs up and continues eating. "Who was that, boss?"

"Our LEO contact, Jesse Thunder, is on his way here to discuss the case."

Jesse arrives in fifteen minutes, as opposed to ten. He walks into the dining room and finds the NCIS team's table. "How do. Sorry I'm late. It took me five minutes just to find a place to park. I swear, it is just incredible how this hotel has taken off. It just opened up two weeks ago, and it's already been packed full for five days now."

"CSI Thunder, allow me to make the introductions. I am Special Agent Gibbs, This is Special Agent DiNozzo, Mossad Liason Officer Ziva David, Special Agent McGee, and last but not least, Dr. Donald Mallard."

"How do. Now, let's talk about the case. Approxiamently thirty minutes prior to discovering the body of Gunnery Segeant Samuel Bearcloud, I received a call from the victim detailing a possible scam that was being played on him involving tribal lands."

"I, with the rest of the CSI team, proceeded to the victim's address on the reservation and found what looked like blood on the door handle. Making our entry we discovered that each room of the house was clear until I walked into the dining room. There, GySgt Bearcloud lay in a pool of blood, barely alive. I managed to have a small conversation with the victim until death came and took Coyote away."

"Who is Coyote?"

"That was GySgt Bearcloud's nickname before joining, and he kept it as his call-sign. I gave it to him."

"So you two were friends?"

"I would say more than friends, Officer David. If you look at his right palm, you will find a scar that is a decade-and-a-half old. I know because I have the same scar on my left palm." Jesse shows his palm before continuing. "These scars are remnants of the Blood Brother ceremony. Fifteen years ago, Samuel and I became Blood Brothers."

"So, you and he were loyal to each other?"

"To a fault. I know, that if I were the one on that slab in autopsy, Sam would be out there looking for whoever it was that put me there."

"What's the game plan for tomorrow?"

"The way I figure it, I show up and we all drive out to the crime scene, then we go to the lab so y'all can see the evidence."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out."

"I try." Jesse leaves and goes back to his apartment, the NCIS team goes back to their rooms.

The next morning, Jesse meets the team at the front doors of the hotel. Ducky arranges to be dropped off at the Crime Lab, and thirty minutes later, the team arrives on the reservation. As Jesse shows them around, the team takes notes of where removed evidence originally was located. Jesse walks outside as the team finishes up. He stands on the front porch and stares out ahead, taking in the condition of the homes around him in the reservation. Just as Ziva steps outside, a coyote wanders up to the front porch. "That's not a coincidence."

"Why not?"

"If you remember, I mentioned that Sam's call-sign was Coyote, because of how he could track something or someone. I've never known anybody else who could track prey for four days with nothing but one footprint." The coyote walks away, then turns when it senses Jesse is not following. "I think it wants me to follow."

"What?"

"I think Samuel is trying to send me a message by getting me to follow this coyote." Jesse does so, but loses sight of the coyote. With some regret, he turns back and walks to the crime scene. He finds the team waiting. "You want to explain where you went off to?"

"Just following a possible lead that went nowhere."

Then, Jesse takes them back to the crime lab. Meanwhile, Ducky has managed to find his way into the morgue and also gotten a pair of scrubs. He and Dr. Price examine Samuel Bearcloud's body together. They find what appear to be several stab wounds on the victim's back, but none of them lethal by themselves. As they make this determination, the NCIS team is heaqding toward autopsy when FBI Agent Tobias Fornell stops them. "Tobias."

"Gibbs."

"You heading towards autopsy?"

"Waiting for you, actually. A CSI brought me here; someone named Wolfe."

"Agent Fornell, good to see you have made it here with no trouble. I also am glad to see that NCIS is here with no problems."

"Who might you be?"

"Lieutenant Horatio Caine."

"So, you're the boss man?"

"That's correct."

"Hey, H. I see you've made the aquaintance of our allies in this one. Dr. Price paged me, said we needed to see what was found." Everybody walks into autopsy, where Ducky and Dr. Price make thier assessments known. "Do we have a cause of death?" "The victim died from blood loss from multiple stab wounds on his back and the back of his extremities. Samuel is rolled over to show the wounds. Jesse looks close and notices something about the wounds. "Doctors, is there any way that these are not stab wounds?"

"What else could they be?"

"Give me about five minutes, and I'll show you."

Jesse leaves autopsy and goes to his locker. He opens it, and withdraws something that no one knew he had, a reproduction of Gen. Thomas Johnathan "Stonewall" Jackson's saber. He takes it back to autopsy and draws the sword. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on and where you got that?"

"Gladly. I got a theory from examining the wounds. It struck me as odd that the wounds were curved. I thought they could have come from a curved blade knife, but then I realized that they were not the result of a bladed weapon being forced into his body. The perpetrators did something worse. They whipped him with a saber. As for where I got this, I picked it up from a friend who shares my historical passion for preservinglessons learned during the Civil War." Jesse demostrates the motion, and the saber blade lines up perfectly. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a case of torture. None of these wounds would have been fatal by themselves, am I right?"

"Yes."

"Therefore, it stands to reason that the object was the number of wounds and leaving him for dead. I think we're looking at a hate crime."

"Pretty severe hate crime. Any idea who could have done something like this?"

"A couple of suspects come to mind, but none that could have done it. Right now, I think we need to gather more evidence."

"Well, we also need someone from the department to be our representative for the press conference."

"What press conference?"

"The press conference that discusses this case."

"We cannot have a press conference yet."

"Why not?"

"Put it off for one day, and we might be able to avoid a lawsuit."

"What are you talking about, Jesse?"

"Samuel has a sister who has no idea he is dead. Do you want her first knowledge of this to come from a press conference?"

"No, so you better hurry and get in touch with his sister, before the reporters arrive en masse."

"You got it, H." Jesse walks out and dials a number that brings back many memories. Memories of him and Samuel running around the reservation. His reverie ends when a female voice is heard on the other end of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Amanda. It's Jesse."

"Hey, Jesse. How are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, I have a question for you."

"Okay."

"Would you mind coming down to the Crime Lab? I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure. I'm really not sure."

"Well, I can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Alright, see you then." Eric came around the corner and heard Jesse's last words of that conversation. "Got a date?"

"I wish that was the case. As it happens, it's the complete opposite of that. Samuel Bearcloud's sister is on her way here, and she has no idea that he's dead."

**Next chapter: The identification.**


	3. Shootout

_**THE HAUNTED HUNTER**_

**_BIG THANKS TO DELKOSGIRL88 AND LADYD10, ALONG WITH PHINALPHATASY AND CSI KAT R. I SHALL TAKE YOUR IDEAS TO HEART. LADYD10, ON THE ISSUE OF FLIGHT TIME, I JUST PICKED A RANDOM NUMBER. I HAVE HOPEFULLY FIXED THAT._**

Tony stared numbly at the list he had just been handed by his "boss" within the Second Confederacy. The list was a hit list, with Jesse, Calleigh, Eric, and Ziva on the list. Tony looks up at Ryan, who stares back with an expression that Tony felt mirrored his own. The man who assigned their missions then spoke. He had a pronounced accent, and one often had to strain in order to understand him. "Alright, looky here now. You fellers got these here targets to hit fer us, and if ya succeed, we might jest have a spot fer ya higher up the ladder." Tony and Ryan nodded their understanding. Tony just had one question. "I understand that you want these people dead. My question is why."

"Why? 'Cause only one of them's white and she's not with one of her kind." Ryan had the courage to speak up next.

"What would you call 'her kind'?"

"A white person, like you or me. Not that wetback she's with now. She needs a real man." Tony and Ryan both have to repress the urge to slug the man (if you could call him that) in front of them. Tony arranged for contact. "We will call you when the job is done."

"Alright, jest as long as it don't take long to kill these damn fools. Especially that injun feller. Matter of fact, bring that bastard to me alive. I want to put him in his place personally." Tony and Ryan turn so that he will not see their faces, now masks of hate and rage. The two of them walk out and jump behind the wheel of their SUV. The duo drive off for the Crime Lab, where they hope ot present what they have been told. The only problem is that they were followed. As it turns out, the one who had given them their mission didn't trust them, so he sent another two-man team after them to make sure that Tony and Ryan would get the job done. As they drove, Ryan brought up an interesting point. "So, how do we work this one out?"

"I don't know. We may have to just get our people moved to a safehouse so that our sadistic 'friend' won't know where the 'targets' have gone."

"You got a point there." They drive on in silence, each attempting to come up with a plan, until they reach the lab. The team following Tony and Ryan stop, then radio in. "Hey, boss. Yore neva gonna believe this. Yer hitmen jest stopped at some kind of police station." Their boss is incensed. "WHAT? Those bastards are helpin' our enemies! Wait for back-up, then follow them sombitches whereva they go. When ye git clear, run 'em off the road, then finish 'em."

"Ye got it, boss." The connection is cut, allowing the two sinister figures to watch in silence.

Meanwhile, Tony and Ryan walk inside the Crime Lab, unaware that their cover has been blown. They brief Gibbs and Lt. Caine on the latest. "Boss, we got a problem."

"Yeah, H. A big problem."

"Woah, slow down, DiNozzo. Same to you, Wolfe. What's going on?"

"We got handed a hit list. There were four names on it."

"Who, DiNozzo?" "Ziva, Calleigh, Eric, and Jesse. They're our targets. We have to take them out." Gibbs and Horatio look at each other, trying to figure out a plan. Just then, Jesse spots the undercover officers. "Hey, Tony, Ryan. How's undercover going?"

"Horribly. I hope we don't have to stay under this guy for long, H. He is a Grade A psychopath." "Who?"

"The man who just put a hit on you, Jesse." Jesse feels concern for the woman who had quietly and suddenly stolen his heart, so he asked, "What about Amanda?" Tony answered, "No. Just you, Eric, Ziva, and Calleigh." Then, the three of them hear their names. "What about us, Ryan?" was Calleigh's question. "Yes, what about us, Tony?" came from Ziva. "Y'all, we're on a hit list," replied Jesse. Eric, Calleigh, and Ziva all turn and look at Tony and Ryan, who nod in confirmation. "It gets worse."

"How, Ryan? How could it get worse?"

"We're the ones that are supposed to kill you, Eric."

Outside, the team of assassins from the Second Confederacy are still sitting and waiting, when their back-up arrives. The wait after that doesn't last long. Tony comes out of the Crime Lab with Ziva, and they leave. The two that followed Tony and Ryan follow Tony, while the others stay and put the Crime Lab under surveillance. Tony gets on the interstate, and happens to look in the rear-view. He sees the SUV behind them accelerate, then their SUV is rammed. The SUV containing Tony and Ziva goes off the road, then flips three times, coming to a rest on its side. Tony kicks a window out, then drags an unconcious Ziva, who had hit her head, out and behind the SUV. Then gunshots ring out.

Tony peeks around the corner and sees the assassins from the Second Confederacy firing with automatic weapons. Then, Ziva emits a painful groan. Tony turns and sees blood on her pants leg. "Ziva, let me look at your leg."

"Why?"

"You've been shot." Ziva rolls her pants leg up, and Tony immediately sees that she has been hit in the shin. He tears a pice off his shirt, and ties it around the bullet hole. "Now what do we do? We didn't bring guns."

"Well, unless you want to try the old 'knife to a gunfight' routine, I guess we have to sit here and wait for help."

At the lab, while all this is going down, Jesse looks out the window and sees the SUV watching the lab. He gesture toward Horatio and Gibbs, and they come over. "We got more trouble. That vehicle over there is similar to the one that ran me off the road. What do you want to bet that the guy Tony and Ryan were working for undercover sent a team to follow them here? What if that team followed Tony without his knowing about it?"

"Jesse, I think you're on to something. I'll call Tony." Gibbs dials Tony's number, and when Tony picks up, Gibbs can clearly hear the automatic fire. "Hey, boss. We could use some help here." Gibbs covers the phone and looks t0 Horatio. "Do you have any near-by equipment to trace a cell phone?" "Of course, Agent Gibbs. Jesse, escort Agent Gibbs to A/V."

"You got it, H."

Jesse takes Gibbs and the phone to A/V, where Tony's location is pinned down. Jesse tops off his magazine, then follows the team out to the Hummers. The team drives like maniacs to get to Tony and Ziva in time. There, they find that Tony and Ziva, who by now is slipping into unconciousness, are still pinned down. Tony sees the team arrive and says, "Ziva, just hang in there a little longer, honey. The calvary's arrived." Ziva hears what Tony says, though he doesn't realize it. A faint smile crosses her face, and she fights all the harder. The team, meanwhile, has engaged the shooters, and defeats them rapidly. Gibbs calls out, "DiNozzo! David! You okay?" Tony answers, "I'm fine, boss. Ziva, though-"

"What about Ziva, DiNozzo?"

"She's out like a light, boss, and bleeding!" Gibbs issues an order for an ambulance to be called, but Horatio shakes his head. "Agent Gibbs, it will be quicker to take your officer ourselves." Gibbs knows he is right, so a second order is given to clear one of the CSI Hummers, and for ZIva to be put in the back seat. Jesse clears his Hummer out, and asks Tony to stay in the back with Ziva. "Tony, I need you to stay back there with her and try to control the blood loss." Tony jumps without another word, and McGee gets in the passenger seat, where he was riding with Jesse.

Jesse roars off into the distance, racing towards the nearest hopspital, when he sees a figure in the middle of the road. The man is dressed in Seminole warrior clothing of old, and he does not seem to notice Jesse aproaching him. As Jesse gets closer, he sees that the figure strongly resembles Osceola. He asks McGee, "Do you see that guy in the middle of the road?" McGee turns and says, "Jesse there's no one in the road. It's empty." Jesse turns and looks at McGee, who shrugs, then turns back to the road, and sees that the figure has disappeared. His eyes widen, and he is shocked to see nothing where there was once a person. He shakes the thought off as the hospital nears. Jesse stops the Hummer in the emergency lane, then he, McGee, and Tony rush Ziva inside. Ziva is immediatley taken into surgery to remove the bullet from her leg, but also for injuries sustained in the crash, namely broken ribs, one of which pierced her lung. As a result, her condition is touch and go. Tony takes up a vigil in a chair next to her bed. Eric is watching him when Jesse comes up beside him. "Remind you of anyone?" At the unexpected question, Eric turns with an upraised eyebrow. Jesse continues, "Let me clarify. Three weeks ago, in another room of this hospital, a guy that we both know, sitting in the same spot, waiting on someone he cares about, not sure if they will make it or not. Is the situation ringing any bells?" Eric is struck by the fact that Jesse has just described Eric's actions throughout Calleigh's ordeal stemming from smoke inhalation.

Jesse watches through the window as Tony bows his head and starts a silent prayer. Jesse and Eric both feel the need also, and offer up a plea to God for the safety of the NCIS agent. Then, Tony reaches for Ziva's hand and grasps it in his, not wanting to let go. Then, the unexpected happens.


	4. The Haunted Hunter

**THE HAUNTED HUNTER, PART TWO**

**_BIG THANKS TO PETLOVERS4EVER AND PHINALPHANTASY FOR YOUR REVIEWS. PHINALPHANTASY, AS FAR AS YOUR QUESTION, YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE._**

**_CONTINUING WHERE WE LEFT OFF: ZIVA IN THE HOSPITAL WITH A GUNSHOT WOUND, NUMEROUS BROKEN RIBS, AND A PIERCED LUNG. TONY IS BY HER SIDE PRAYING. THEN, THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS._**

Right before Tony's eyes, Ziva makes a small movement. Then, her eyes flicker. She slowly opens her eyes, and the first thing she sees is Tony stting across from her. He sees her wake up, and says, "Hey there. Welcome back to the land of the living. How do you feel?"

"Ready to be out of here, and I've only been awake five seconds."

"There's the Ziva I know and love." Ziva files away that comment for future memory. Then, the rest of the team files in to her room. Everyone expresses wishes for her to recover swiftly, then leaves, followed by a doctor who is checking up on Ziva. Tony stays exactly where he was to start with, neither of them speaking, just enjoying each other's company. Finally, Ziva breaks the silence. "How long have you been here?"

"Since you got out of surgery." Ziva is surprised to hear that from him, but continues. "I heard what you told me just before we got in the Hummer."

Tony looks at her, puzzled. "You'll have to be more specific, Ziva." Ziva replies, "The part where you called me honey. That one word helped me fight harder to live, Tony. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Miss David. By the way, how are you feeling?"

"I feel like a needlecushion."

"I think you mean pincushion."

"Yes, that. Other than that, I feel fine."

"I'm glad to hear. I was extremely worried about you for little bit."

"Tony, we Mossad assassins are stronger than a single bullet."

"Ziva, there wasn't just a gunshot wound. According to the doctor, you broke a few ribs, and one pierced your lung. When you hit your head on the door frame of the car, you nearly got a concussion. That, along with the blood loss, nearly killed you. I have to be honest. If that had happened, I don't know how I would have made it through the aftermath." Ziva is again surprised, but says, "Well, you don't have to worry about that possibility any longer. I will be perfectly fine." Tony is about to walk out the door when Ziva stops him. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I personally think that it's time for some coffee, and I think you need some rest. Believe it or not, you've been awake for nearly an hour." Ziva tries to fight a wave of fatigue, but knows Tony is right. Before he leaves, she asks him one more question. "Would you have stayed by the bed if it wasn't me in the bed?"

"You mean if it was McGee or Gibbs?"

"Yes, or one of the CSI's."

"No, Ziva, I wouldn't have. If it was someone else, I would probably been leaning against the wall outside." Ziva feels an emotion that is unfamiliar to her. She finds that what Tony says is touching.

Tony leaves, and Ziva falls asleep. True to his word, Tony gets a cup of coffee from across the street, then drives back to the lab. There, both shifts of CSI's are working to find any information on Thomas Denvers. What they find shocks and horrifies them. Thomas Denvers is the name of a radical who is descended from a ruthless member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. A man who had no qualms about killing someone, white or not. In short, the man was nothing more than a hired gun who had managed to survive the Civil War, and who had decided to put his talents to other uses. The ancestor, that is. It turns out that the radical is someone that the team is not very familiar with. Jesse, during this time, had stared out the window, eyebrows furrowed. Then, he turns and asks, "Do we have any pictures of Mr. Denvers' ancestor?" The lab tech, in answer, pulls up a photograph taken of Thomas Jefferson Denvers, the soldier. Jesse stares at the picture, then feels fury and revulsion rise in him like a tidal wave.

"I know this son-of-a-!"

"Jesse, what are you talking about?"

"Ever since we recovered that note from the Suburban, the name Thomas Denvers has been running through my mind, like it was something I should recognize. I just didn't know how I was supposed to recognize it. The bastard that killed Sam is a reenactor, playing his ancestor! I fought alongside the asshole and never suspected a thing!" Everybody looks at each other, not sure what to make of this revelation. Finally, Horatio speaks. "Okay, people. Here's how it is going to go down. We track down Mr. Denvers and his associates, then bring them in. We damage their organization beyond repair. When this is done, we will have shut down a terrorist organization before it has had a chance to get started. Are we clear?" Gibbs then adds, "And as for Thomas Denvers, bring him in alive. We have a few people who would like to meet this dirtbag." The team scatters, each person having their own role to fulfill in the great trap that was in the process of being set. At this time, Tony walks over to Gibbs. "How's Ziva, DiNozzo?"

"Well, according to her doctor, who I ran into on the way out, she should be just fine, and could even possibly leave in a couple of days, providing that she be sure to do physical therapy to make sure her leg is as good as new, and to make sure that the exercises don't stress her ribs out too much."

"So, when are you going tomorrow?"

"What do you mean, boss?"

"DiNozzo, I may have bad eyesight, but even I can see how you two feel about each other. The way you look at her reminds me of how I used to look at Jen, and Shannon before her." "As in Director Shepard?"

"That's right, DiNozzo."

"Exactly how far did your relationship progress with her, anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because when I saw Ziva in that bed, helpless, it nearly killed me. My heart felt like it was about to shatter right there in her room. It got me thinking about settling down, and who I would settle down with. The more I thought about it, the more one name kept returning to my head."

"Ziva."

"Exactly, boss." Gibbs' response is to perform a head-slap on DiNozzo.

"OW! What was that for!"

"For breaking Rule 12 in the future, DiNozzo. That being said, what are you waiting on? Tell Ziva what you just told me, and see what her reaction is. I have a feeling that you will be surprised in a good way." DiNozzo, with a start, realizes that Gibbs has given his blessing to DiNozzo. "Thanks, boss."

"Don't mention it, DiNozzo. Now, don't you have some work to do?" Tony caught Gibbs' meaning instantly. Tony had some items to buy if he wanted to get his relationship with Ziva off the ground, not to mention he had some stuff to remove from his car if he wanted to drive her to their hotel. Tony hustles out the door, and makes sure that there is nothing in the car that could potentially hurt Ziva when she climbed in or out, mostly because he felt that Ziva would leave him half-dead, then Gibbs would finish the job. Tony wanted more than anything to avoid that circumstance at any cost.

The next day, Tony continued his daily ritual of visiting Ziva in the hospital. He is approaching her room when he hears multiple voices, and at least one of them shouting. He increases his pace, and finds that Ziva's doctors are huddled in one corner, while she is shouting at them in Hebrew. Upon seeing Tony, Ziva stops shouting and smiles. "Tony! I am glad you are here! Please explain to these people that I am in good enough condition to leave today."

"I won't make any promises that I can't keep, Zi, but I promise to talk to them on your behalf." Ziva's smile widens. Tony steps out into the hall, motioning for the doctors to follow. "What does her situation look like right now?"

"Right now, Miss David's condition is remarkable for someone who has sustained the injuries that she has. There is no sign of brain damage, her leg is holding weight incredibly well, and her ribcage fused back together very nicely. In short, she should be able to go home today, but I recommend she come in regularly for check-ups."

"So what you're saying, Ziva is going to be a happy person, am I right?"

"Yes, Special Agent DiNozzo, you are correct." Tony walks back in Ziva's room and starts packing her clothes and other items brought with her. She watches Tony carefully.

"Tony, does this mean what I think it means?"

"That depends. Do you think it means that you get to spend the rest of the day with me, God's gift to the team, or that you are getting out of here?"

"A little of both, but if anyone is God's gift, then it is me, Tony."

"Ziva, I want to tell you something." Tony's tone goes from light-hearted to serious in an instant. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong as long as you promise never to leave me, Zi. I can't express in words how scared I was when you were brought in here, and when you were given your room, and I saw you in that bed, it just-" Tony breaks off to keep himself under control. "It just what, Tony?"

"It just felt like my heart was being shattered into a million pieces, and I can't imagine going through that again, especially if I hadn't told you how I felt beforehand." For the first time in her life, Ziva is speechless. It became clear to her that Tony had put a lot of time and thought into their situation. Her only question is, "What about Gibbs?"

"What about him?"

"Have you told him about this?"

"Actually, I told him last night."

"Oh? What was his response?" THWACK! Tony demonstrates on himself Gibbs' answer. "Then the interesting part, Ziva. He gave me his blessing." Ziva contemplates this turn of events, but not for long. She gets up from her bed and walks over to Tony and gives him a passionate kiss that lasts until both are in need of air.

Meanwhile, at the lab, Jesse is stopped by Eric in the hallway. "Jesse, I need to show you something." Jesse follows, his curiosity piqued. Eric takes Jesse to the break room and shuts the door. Jesse watches Eric pace around the break room for a good five minutes. "Okay, Eric, I can tell you are nervous, but about what, I do not have a clue. What was it you so desperately needed to show me?" Eric stops and walks over to Jesse and pulls out a box. Jesse immediately figures out that the box contains a diamond engagement ring. "What do you think? I want to give this to Calleigh and ask her to marry me. There's just one problem."

"Explain the problem for me. I don't see one yet."

"The box is empty Jesse."

"There's where a problem would occur."

"The other thing is that I can't just leave the lab to pick the ring up."

"Yeah, you could. I'll cover for you. Go get the ring, then get back here. If anyone asks, I'll say you had an incredibly important errand you had to get done." Eric grins, the replies, "Thanks, Jesse. I owe you one."

"Forget about it. Now, get out of here so you can pick that ring up and propose to the girl of your dreams." Eric practically sprints out to his Hummer, then leans on the accelerator and gets out of the parking lot in very little time. He drives to the jewelry store in twenty minutes, then thanks to lighter traffic finds that the trip back only takes ten minutes.

During that thirty minutes of driving, plus five minutes to pick the ring up and get it into the box, Jesse sees Horatio walking towards him. "Jesse, have you seen Eric?" "Actually, yes I have. He just left to run an incredibly important errand." Horatio's eyebrows rise. "And this errand was not one he felt important enough to share with me?"

"H, I think he wanted it kept a secret, but I don't think he'll mind me telling you, as long as it goes no further. He went to get an engagement ring." Horatio's expression softens, for he understands exactly how important that one errand has become. "Did he mention who the lucky woman was?"

"All I will say is that she works here, and has completly stolen Eric's heart." Horatio knows exactly what Jesse is talking about. "Speaking of stealing hearts, H, I need to check on Amanda. Do you mind if I duck out real quick?"

"Not at all, Jesse." You see, Jesse and Amanda have grown closer over these three months, and Jesse feels the time is right for his own relationship to take flight. As Jesse walks out, he passes Eric walking in. They have a small conversation. "Hey, Jesse. Did anyone come looking for me?"

"Yeah. Horatio did, but I gave him the errand line. He gave me a 'explain this errand' look, so I had to tell him about your plans. From what I gathered, he is behind them one hundred percent." "Okay, thanks. Like I said, I owe you one. Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Would go get Calleigh and tell her I'm looking for her?"

"Yeah."

Jesse walks down to the Ballistics lab, where he sees Calleigh is test-firing a weapon. He yells her name. "Calleigh!" She turns with the gun in her hands, ready to shoot. Jesse finds the barrel pointed at him. "Cal, could you do me the favor of pointing that thing somewhere else?" She puts the gun away, and asks, "What's up? Do I have a call-out?"

"No, but Eric's looking for you. Before you ask, I don't know why."

"Okay, thanks, I'll find him." Jesse turns and leaves the lab, driving to his apartment. He takes the front steps two at a time, then reaches the front door. He notices that his door is ajar. Alarmed, he draws his weapon and opens the door just enough for him to see into his house. The next thing he saw was a vase flying towards his head. Without time to duck, he is knocked backwards and falls down the steps, rolling as he goes. "Ow, ooh, oww, that hurt, ahh, yeouch, oof!" He gets up, stunned as a figure comes to the door. Jesse goes for his gun, when he realizes that the figure that threw the vase was Amanda.

"Mandy? What was that for? Is everything okay?"

"Oh my gosh, Jesse, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you. I thought it was some intruder trying to break in."

"Next time, Mandy, don't leave the door open. I thought somebody was in the house and after you. I didn't like that particular thought." Jesse picks the vase up and hands it to Amanda. "This vase belonged to my grandmother. Could you please try not to throw it at me again? I'd hate to tell grandma that her favorite vase got broken when my fiance hit me in the face with it." Amanda's eyes widen as Jesse's words sink in. "Jesse, do you mean that?"

"I sure do. Amanda Bearcloud, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes, Jesse, I will." Jesse and Amanda embrace, then Jesse leaves. "I have to get back to the lab. By now, Eric has probably proposed to the girl of his dreams." Jesse climbs in his Hummer and drives off, unaware that the house was being watched.

Amanda walks back in the house and locks the door, humming as she goes. Five minutes after Jesse leaves, she hears a knock at the door. Amanda opens the door to find a uniformed officer at her door. "Amanda Bearcloud?"

"Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes, Jesse asked me to find you for him. A friend just got placed in the hospital, and he was on the way there. He wanted me to bring you." Amanda follows the officer out of the house and to an unmarked cruiser. The officer opens the driverside back door to let Amanda in first. Then, he climbs in the driver seat. Amanda notices a man in the passenger seat. The man turns and looks at Amanda with a gun in his hand. Amanda demands an explanation, but the only thing that happens is that the gun fires. She feels a dart enter her arm, then nothing. The car drives off.

Meanwhile, Jesse's prediction had come true. Eric had propsed to Calleigh just as Jesse walked into the lab. After the proposal moment, everyone goes back to work. Jesse is in his lab, digging up more background information on Thomas Denvers when his phone rings. He looks at the caller id and answers. "Hey, H. What's up?" "Frank is currently sending a team out to Thomas Denvers' last known address. Do you want to go with them?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll go." Jesse talks for a few more minutes, then hangs up. Just as he sets his phone down, it rings again. He checks the caller id, and answers when he sees it is Amanda. "Hey Mandy. Everything okay?"

"Well, well, well. Jesse Thunder. You are a hard man to kill, Jesse."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Who is this?"

"You don't know? I'm astonished. After all, I talked to your old friend Samuel."

"Denvers." The word is spat like an unsavory piece of meat. "Correct. Do you want to see Ms. Bearcloud again? I'm sure you do. If so, you will find her at 7435 Grimborst Drive."

"7435 Grimborst Drive. Got it. Anything else?" "Hurry. I'm not surehow long she has left." A sinister laugh is heard before the line disconnects. Jesse springs up and races for the front door, running by Eric, Ryan, and Horatio on the way. "Whoa, Jesse, where's the fire?" "Denvers. He's got Amanda. I don't know how, I just know that bastard has Amanda." A look is shared before the three of them run after him. The NCIS team hears the commotion and starts for their vehicles as well.

7435 Grimborst, as it turns out, is a log mansion and Denvers' last known address, along with being out in the swampland part of Florida. The teams get there as the sun is setting, only to find that the house is going up in flames. Jesse jumps out of his Hummer and runs toward the house. The team follows, carefully until they hear a cry for help. Jesse kicks the door down and goes throughout the house until he finds Amanda. He unties her, and they prepare to leave. They reach the middle of the house when a rafter falls, along with part of the roof. The pair is separated by the debris pile, which is waist-high. Making the situation more dire is the fact that Denvers has a habit of storing ammunition and flammable materials in his house. Jesse looks into Amanda's eyes and begs her to go. "Amanda, you have to leave NOW! The house could come down any minute, not to mention there is an explosion risk!"

"Jesse, I will not leave without you!"

"Mandy, I'll be fine! I'm begging you, go!" Reluctantly, Amanda turns and runs out the door. Tony is watching the door, and is the first one to notice that Amanda run out of the house. "Boss! We got someone coming out fo the house!"

"I see them, Tony."

The team surrounds the figure when it becomes clear thatit's Amanda. She is helped to a waiting ambulance, coughing a great deal. Horatio asks the question on everyone's mind. "Amanda, where is Jesse?" It takes a second for her to calm down enough to answer. "Lt. Caine, he's... he's inside. Jesse's inside that deathtrap. The roof partially came down, and neither one of us could get around it." H keys his walkie-talkie to try to get Jesse out of there. Jesse can barely be heard over the roar of the flames. "Jesse, you need to leave now."

"H, you must get those cars clear. The house could blow any second! Get clear!"

"Listen Jesse, you have a very limited amount of time to get clear yourself."

"H, I doubt that will happen. This house has enough flammables and explosives to make Hendersonville, Nevada look like a campfire!" Jesse continues searching for a way out, but nothing can be seen aside from flame and smoke. Then, he sees a man in a Marines uniform standing next to a window. Though the last time Jesse had seen the man had been nearly three-and-a-half-months ago, he knew exactly who it was. It is Samuel.

Jesse runs to the window and looks out. A creek is visible through it. Jesse back up, then gets a running start. The house explodes as Jesse jumps for the window.


	5. The Haunted Hunter, Pt II

**THE HAUNTED HUNTER, PART TWO**

**_BIG THANKS TO PETLOVERS4EVER AND PHINALPHANTASY FOR YOUR REVIEWS. PHINALPHANTASY, AS FAR AS YOUR QUESTION, YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE._**

**_CONTINUING WHERE WE LEFT OFF: ZIVA IN THE HOSPITAL WITH A GUNSHOT WOUND, NUMEROUS BROKEN RIBS, AND A PIERCED LUNG. TONY IS BY HER SIDE PRAYING. THEN, THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS._**

Right before Tony's eyes, Ziva makes a small movement. Then, her eyes flicker. She slowly opens her eyes, and the first thing she sees is Tony stting across from her. He sees her wake up, and says, "Hey there. Welcome back to the land of the living. How do you feel?"

"Ready to be out of here, and I've only been awake five seconds."

"There's the Ziva I know and love." Ziva files away that comment for future memory. Then, the rest of the team files in to her room. Everyone expresses wishes for her to recover swiftly, then leaves, followed by a doctor who is checking up on Ziva. Tony stays exactly where he was to start with, neither of them speaking, just enjoying each other's company. Finally, Ziva breaks the silence. "How long have you been here?"

"Since you got out of surgery." Ziva is surprised to hear that from him, but continues. "I heard what you told me just before we got in the Hummer."

Tony looks at her, puzzled. "You'll have to be more specific, Ziva." Ziva replies, "The part where you called me honey. That one word helped me fight harder to live, Tony. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Miss David. By the way, how are you feeling?"

"I feel like a needlecushion."

"I think you mean pincushion."

"Yes, that. Other than that, I feel fine."

"I'm glad to hear. I was extremely worried about you for little bit."

"Tony, we Mossad assassins are stronger than a single bullet."

"Ziva, there wasn't just a gunshot wound. According to the doctor, you broke a few ribs, and one pierced your lung. When you hit your head on the door frame of the car, you nearly got a concussion. That, along with the blood loss, nearly killed you. I have to be honest. If that had happened, I don't know how I would have made it through the aftermath." Ziva is again surprised, but says, "Well, you don't have to worry about that possibility any longer. I will be perfectly fine." Tony is about to walk out the door when Ziva stops him. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I personally think that it's time for some coffee, and I think you need some rest. Believe it or not, you've been awake for nearly an hour." Ziva tries to fight a wave of fatigue, but knows Tony is right. Before he leaves, she asks him one more question. "Would you have stayed by the bed if it wasn't me in the bed?"

"You mean if it was McGee or Gibbs?"

"Yes, or one of the CSI's."

"No, Ziva, I wouldn't have. If it was someone else, I would probably been leaning against the wall outside." Ziva feels an emotion that is unfamiliar to her. She finds that what Tony says is touching.

Tony leaves, and Ziva falls asleep. True to his word, Tony gets a cup of coffee from across the street, then drives back to the lab. There, both shifts of CSI's are working to find any information on Thomas Denvers. What they find shocks and horrifies them. Thomas Denvers is the name of a radical who is descended from a ruthless member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. A man who had no qualms about killing someone, white or not. In short, the man was nothing more than a hired gun who had managed to survive the Civil War, and who had decided to put his talents to other uses. The ancestor, that is. It turns out that the radical is someone that the team is not very familiar with. Jesse, during this time, had stared out the window, eyebrows furrowed. Then, he turns and asks, "Do we have any pictures of Mr. Denvers' ancestor?" The lab tech, in answer, pulls up a photograph taken of Thomas Jefferson Denvers, the soldier. Jesse stares at the picture, then feels fury and revulsion rise in him like a tidal wave.

"I know this son-of-a-!"

"Jesse, what are you talking about?"

"Ever since we recovered that note from the Suburban, the name Thomas Denvers has been running through my mind, like it was something I should recognize. I just didn't know how I was supposed to recognize it. The bastard that killed Sam is a reenactor, playing his ancestor! I fought alongside the asshole and never suspected a thing!" Everybody looks at each other, not sure what to make of this revelation. Finally, Horatio speaks. "Okay, people. Here's how it is going to go down. We track down Mr. Denvers and his associates, then bring them in. We damage their organization beyond repair. When this is done, we will have shut down a terrorist organization before it has had a chance to get started. Are we clear?" Gibbs then adds, "And as for Thomas Denvers, bring him in alive. We have a few people who would like to meet this dirtbag." The team scatters, each person having their own role to fulfill in the great trap that was in the process of being set. At this time, Tony walks over to Gibbs. "How's Ziva, DiNozzo?"

"Well, according to her doctor, who I ran into on the way out, she should be just fine, and could even possibly leave in a couple of days, providing that she be sure to do physical therapy to make sure her leg is as good as new, and to make sure that the exercises don't stress her ribs out too much."

"So, when are you going tomorrow?"

"What do you mean, boss?"

"DiNozzo, I may have bad eyesight, but even I can see how you two feel about each other. The way you look at her reminds me of how I used to look at Jen, and Shannon before her." "As in Director Shepard?"

"That's right, DiNozzo."

"Exactly how far did your relationship progress with her, anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because when I saw Ziva in that bed, helpless, it nearly killed me. My heart felt like it was about to shatter right there in her room. It got me thinking about settling down, and who I would settle down with. The more I thought about it, the more one name kept returning to my head."

"Ziva."

"Exactly, boss." Gibbs' response is to perform a head-slap on DiNozzo.

"OW! What was that for!"

"For breaking Rule 12 in the future, DiNozzo. That being said, what are you waiting on? Tell Ziva what you just told me, and see what her reaction is. I have a feeling that you will be surprised in a good way." DiNozzo, with a start, realizes that Gibbs has given his blessing to DiNozzo. "Thanks, boss."

"Don't mention it, DiNozzo. Now, don't you have some work to do?" Tony caught Gibbs' meaning instantly. Tony had some items to buy if he wanted to get his relationship with Ziva off the ground, not to mention he had some stuff to remove from his car if he wanted to drive her to their hotel. Tony hustles out the door, and makes sure that there is nothing in the car that could potentially hurt Ziva when she climbed in or out, mostly because he felt that Ziva would leave him half-dead, then Gibbs would finish the job. Tony wanted more than anything to avoid that circumstance at any cost.

The next day, Tony continued his daily ritual of visiting Ziva in the hospital. He is approaching her room when he hears multiple voices, and at least one of them shouting. He increases his pace, and finds that Ziva's doctors are huddled in one corner, while she is shouting at them in Hebrew. Upon seeing Tony, Ziva stops shouting and smiles. "Tony! I am glad you are here! Please explain to these people that I am in good enough condition to leave today."

"I won't make any promises that I can't keep, Zi, but I promise to talk to them on your behalf." Ziva's smile widens. Tony steps out into the hall, motioning for the doctors to follow. "What does her situation look like right now?"

"Right now, Miss David's condition is remarkable for someone who has sustained the injuries that she has. There is no sign of brain damage, her leg is holding weight incredibly well, and her ribcage fused back together very nicely. In short, she should be able to go home today, but I recommend she come in regularly for check-ups."

"So what you're saying, Ziva is going to be a happy person, am I right?"

"Yes, Special Agent DiNozzo, you are correct." Tony walks back in Ziva's room and starts packing her clothes and other items brought with her. She watches Tony carefully.

"Tony, does this mean what I think it means?"

"That depends. Do you think it means that you get to spend the rest of the day with me, God's gift to the team, or that you are getting out of here?"

"A little of both, but if anyone is God's gift, then it is me, Tony."

"Ziva, I want to tell you something." Tony's tone goes from light-hearted to serious in an instant. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong as long as you promise never to leave me, Zi. I can't express in words how scared I was when you were brought in here, and when you were given your room, and I saw you in that bed, it just-" Tony breaks off to keep himself under control. "It just what, Tony?"

"It just felt like my heart was being shattered into a million pieces, and I can't imagine going through that again, especially if I hadn't told you how I felt beforehand." For the first time in her life, Ziva is speechless. It became clear to her that Tony had put a lot of time and thought into their situation. Her only question is, "What about Gibbs?"

"What about him?"

"Have you told him about this?"

"Actually, I told him last night."

"Oh? What was his response?" THWACK! Tony demonstrates on himself Gibbs' answer. "Then the interesting part, Ziva. He gave me his blessing." Ziva contemplates this turn of events, but not for long. She gets up from her bed and walks over to Tony and gives him a passionate kiss that lasts until both are in need of air.

Meanwhile, at the lab, Jesse is stopped by Eric in the hallway. "Jesse, I need to show you something." Jesse follows, his curiosity piqued. Eric takes Jesse to the break room and shuts the door. Jesse watches Eric pace around the break room for a good five minutes. "Okay, Eric, I can tell you are nervous, but about what, I do not have a clue. What was it you so desperately needed to show me?" Eric stops and walks over to Jesse and pulls out a box. Jesse immediately figures out that the box contains a diamond engagement ring. "What do you think? I want to give this to Calleigh and ask her to marry me. There's just one problem."

"Explain the problem for me. I don't see one yet."

"The box is empty Jesse."

"There's where a problem would occur."

"The other thing is that I can't just leave the lab to pick the ring up."

"Yeah, you could. I'll cover for you. Go get the ring, then get back here. If anyone asks, I'll say you had an incredibly important errand you had to get done." Eric grins, the replies, "Thanks, Jesse. I owe you one."

"Forget about it. Now, get out of here so you can pick that ring up and propose to the girl of your dreams." Eric practically sprints out to his Hummer, then leans on the accelerator and gets out of the parking lot in very little time. He drives to the jewelry store in twenty minutes, then thanks to lighter traffic finds that the trip back only takes ten minutes.

During that thirty minutes of driving, plus five minutes to pick the ring up and get it into the box, Jesse sees Horatio walking towards him. "Jesse, have you seen Eric?" "Actually, yes I have. He just left to run an incredibly important errand." Horatio's eyebrows rise. "And this errand was not one he felt important enough to share with me?"

"H, I think he wanted it kept a secret, but I don't think he'll mind me telling you, as long as it goes no further. He went to get an engagement ring." Horatio's expression softens, for he understands exactly how important that one errand has become. "Did he mention who the lucky woman was?"

"All I will say is that she works here, and has completly stolen Eric's heart." Horatio knows exactly what Jesse is talking about. "Speaking of stealing hearts, H, I need to check on Amanda. Do you mind if I duck out real quick?"

"Not at all, Jesse." You see, Jesse and Amanda have grown closer over these three months, and Jesse feels the time is right for his own relationship to take flight. As Jesse walks out, he passes Eric walking in. They have a small conversation. "Hey, Jesse. Did anyone come looking for me?"

"Yeah. Horatio did, but I gave him the errand line. He gave me a 'explain this errand' look, so I had to tell him about your plans. From what I gathered, he is behind them one hundred percent." "Okay, thanks. Like I said, I owe you one. Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Would go get Calleigh and tell her I'm looking for her?"

"Yeah."

Jesse walks down to the Ballistics lab, where he sees Calleigh is test-firing a weapon. He yells her name. "Calleigh!" She turns with the gun in her hands, ready to shoot. Jesse finds the barrel pointed at him. "Cal, could you do me the favor of pointing that thing somewhere else?" She puts the gun away, and asks, "What's up? Do I have a call-out?"

"No, but Eric's looking for you. Before you ask, I don't know why."

"Okay, thanks, I'll find him." Jesse turns and leaves the lab, driving to his apartment. He takes the front steps two at a time, then reaches the front door. He notices that his door is ajar. Alarmed, he draws his weapon and opens the door just enough for him to see into his house. The next thing he saw was a vase flying towards his head. Without time to duck, he is knocked backwards and falls down the steps, rolling as he goes. "Ow, ooh, oww, that hurt, ahh, yeouch, oof!" He gets up, stunned as a figure comes to the door. Jesse goes for his gun, when he realizes that the figure that threw the vase was Amanda.

"Mandy? What was that for? Is everything okay?"

"Oh my gosh, Jesse, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you. I thought it was some intruder trying to break in."

"Next time, Mandy, don't leave the door open. I thought somebody was in the house and after you. I didn't like that particular thought." Jesse picks the vase up and hands it to Amanda. "This vase belonged to my grandmother. Could you please try not to throw it at me again? I'd hate to tell grandma that her favorite vase got broken when my fiance hit me in the face with it." Amanda's eyes widen as Jesse's words sink in. "Jesse, do you mean that?"

"I sure do. Amanda Bearcloud, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes, Jesse, I will." Jesse and Amanda embrace, then Jesse leaves. "I have to get back to the lab. By now, Eric has probably proposed to the girl of his dreams." Jesse climbs in his Hummer and drives off, unaware that the house was being watched.

Amanda walks back in the house and locks the door, humming as she goes. Five minutes after Jesse leaves, she hears a knock at the door. Amanda opens the door to find a uniformed officer at her door. "Amanda Bearcloud?"

"Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes, Jesse asked me to find you for him. A friend just got placed in the hospital, and he was on the way there. He wanted me to bring you." Amanda follows the officer out of the house and to an unmarked cruiser. The officer opens the driverside back door to let Amanda in first. Then, he climbs in the driver seat. Amanda notices a man in the passenger seat. The man turns and looks at Amanda with a gun in his hand. Amanda demands an explanation, but the only thing that happens is that the gun fires. She feels a dart enter her arm, then nothing. The car drives off.

Meanwhile, Jesse's prediction had come true. Eric had propsed to Calleigh just as Jesse walked into the lab. After the proposal moment, everyone goes back to work. Jesse is in his lab, digging up more background information on Thomas Denvers when his phone rings. He looks at the caller id and answers. "Hey, H. What's up?" "Frank is currently sending a team out to Thomas Denvers' last known address. Do you want to go with them?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll go." Jesse talks for a few more minutes, then hangs up. Just as he sets his phone down, it rings again. He checks the caller id, and answers when he sees it is Amanda. "Hey Mandy. Everything okay?"

"Well, well, well. Jesse Thunder. You are a hard man to kill, Jesse."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Who is this?"

"You don't know? I'm astonished. After all, I talked to your old friend Samuel."

"Denvers." The word is spat like an unsavory piece of meat. "Correct. Do you want to see Ms. Bearcloud again? I'm sure you do. If so, you will find her at 7435 Grimborst Drive."

"7435 Grimborst Drive. Got it. Anything else?" "Hurry. I'm not surehow long she has left." A sinister laugh is heard before the line disconnects. Jesse springs up and races for the front door, running by Eric, Ryan, and Horatio on the way. "Whoa, Jesse, where's the fire?" "Denvers. He's got Amanda. I don't know how, I just know that bastard has Amanda." A look is shared before the three of them run after him. The NCIS team hears the commotion and starts for their vehicles as well.

7435 Grimborst, as it turns out, is a log mansion and Denvers' last known address, along with being out in the swampland part of Florida. The teams get there as the sun is setting, only to find that the house is going up in flames. Jesse jumps out of his Hummer and runs toward the house. The team follows, carefully until they hear a cry for help. Jesse kicks the door down and goes throughout the house until he finds Amanda. He unties her, and they prepare to leave. They reach the middle of the house when a rafter falls, along with part of the roof. The pair is separated by the debris pile, which is waist-high. Making the situation more dire is the fact that Denvers has a habit of storing ammunition and flammable materials in his house. Jesse looks into Amanda's eyes and begs her to go. "Amanda, you have to leave NOW! The house could come down any minute, not to mention there is an explosion risk!"

"Jesse, I will not leave without you!"

"Mandy, I'll be fine! I'm begging you, go!" Reluctantly, Amanda turns and runs out the door. Tony is watching the door, and is the first one to notice that Amanda run out of the house. "Boss! We got someone coming out fo the house!"

"I see them, Tony."

The team surrounds the figure when it becomes clear thatit's Amanda. She is helped to a waiting ambulance, coughing a great deal. Horatio asks the question on everyone's mind. "Amanda, where is Jesse?" It takes a second for her to calm down enough to answer. "Lt. Caine, he's... he's inside. Jesse's inside that deathtrap. The roof partially came down, and neither one of us could get around it." H keys his walkie-talkie to try to get Jesse out of there. Jesse can barely be heard over the roar of the flames. "Jesse, you need to leave now."

"H, you must get those cars clear. The house could blow any second! Get clear!"

"Listen Jesse, you have a very limited amount of time to get clear yourself."

"H, I doubt that will happen. This house has enough flammables and explosives to make Hendersonville, Nevada look like a campfire!" Jesse continues searching for a way out, but nothing can be seen aside from flame and smoke. Then, he sees a man in a Marines uniform standing next to a window. Though the last time Jesse had seen the man had been nearly three-and-a-half-months ago, he knew exactly who it was. It is Samuel.

Jesse runs to the window and looks out. A creek is visible through it. Jesse back up, then gets a running start. The house explodes as Jesse jumps for the window.


	6. Author Note

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE_**

I don't know how may of you who frequent this site know, but country music recently lost one of their stars. Dan Seals, who first hit it big as half of the group England Dan and John Ford Coley, then as a solo artist in the 1980's, died on March 25 from complications from lymphoma. If you have not heard of Mr. Seals, I strongly recommend you look him up. Youtube has several videos of his. Anyway, I will continue soon, but I felt that this news had to be broken before then.


	7. Son of Osceola and Return of a Friend

**_SON OF OSCEOLA AND RETURN OF A FRIEND_**

The team watches as the house explodes, then collapses in on itself. For a while no one speaks. In fact, nothing is heard but the flames devouring what is left of Denvers' last known address. No one seems ready to accept that one of their own paid the ultimate price, gave the ultimate sacrifice.

The thing is, Jesse didn't pay any price, save for a few scrapes. He had managed to go through the window, rolling down a hill and ending up in the creek he had seen. Jesse stands and watches the house come down, then notices something to his left. Jesse turns and sees Samuel standing there once again. Jesse mouths thanks. Samuel nods once, then fades away. Jesse tries to use his phone, only to realize that a piece of shrapnel has gone through the phone completely. He looks himself over and notices another piece of metal stuck in his shoulder two inches deep, along with a tear in his shirt that a stray bullet had gone through. He feels a shallow cut from shoulder blade to shoulder blade from the bullet. He tries a second radio that he has in his belt, but that one is beyond repair as well.

Jesse starts the long journey around the property to the driveway, where the team is starting to process the scene, instincts taking over what was a numbed shell of a person. No one notices when Jesse walked over to the ambulance to see Amanda. He walked up behind her, coming from the front of the ambulance and sits down beside her.

"Told you I'd make it out, Mandy."

Amanda looks up at the voice and sees Jesse sitting next to her. She wraps him in a hug, that is cut short by a person clearing their throat.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything." Jesse turns and sees the kindly face of Ducky looking at him with a half-smile. Jesse reaches for and shakes the man's hand.

"Not at all, Doctor. At least, it isn't anything that can't be continued later, if you get my drift. I'm glad you're here, though." Ducky's eyebrows rise.

"Indeed? Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Thunder?" "There is, Doctor Mallard. I hate to say it, but my dodging skills aren't as good going through a window as when my feet are on solid ground. I have a piece of metal or something stuck in my shoulder, and I have quite a long scratch across my upper back."

Jesse takes his shirt off to demonstrate his point. Ducky examines the injuries, and says, "You were absolutely correct. You do need my help. Now, sit still for a few minutes, and you shall be good as new." Jesse waits, patiently, while he watches the team process what is left of the house until Ducky announces that he can get up.

Jesse stands and decides to make his presence known. Jesse goes to the room where the ammunition had been stored. To his surprise, some of the bullets had survived the conflagration. He examines a few, and his heart stops for a beat of time. The bullets he had examined were fused-alloy rounds. "Saris." The word came out as a growl, but one loud enough to be heard by Calleigh. She shines her light around until the beam finds Jesse. He shifts around so that he can see who is shining the light at him, then breaks into a smile.

"I told y'all I would make it out."

"Jesse, how you made it out at all is my question."

"It wasn't that hard. I went through a window, down a hill and ended up in a creek. You know, I think that if the guy hadn't been a racist piece of dirt, you might have liked him, Cal."

"Why is that Jesse?"

"He had a room full of nothing but bullets and guns. Pistols, rifles, machine guns. You name it, this guy had it. One of them even winged me while I was making my exit."

Calleigh smiles at Jesse's comment about the sheer amount of ammunition, though part of it is that she's glad to see him alive and well. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't experiencing anything like lust or something like that. She was just relieved that death had not claimed Jesse as a victim.

"On another note, we have to find H. This case just got much more complicated."

"What do you mean?" Jesse answers Calleigh's question by holding up one of the fused-alloy rounds he had recovered. Calleigh immediately figures it out.

"Fused alloy? I thought that all the rounds went up with Saris' boat."

"So did I, until I found this sucker and a few others that had survived the explosion. Now, let's go find H." They make their way back to the front of the house, where the teams are co-ordinating efforts with Fire-Rescue.

Horatio spots Jesse coming towards them and says, "Mr. Thunder. Good to see you came out of that mess unscathed."

"Good to see you too, H. However, our lives just became much more complicated." Jesse holds up the bullet to prove his point. Horatio take the round and examines it. When he is finished, his voice is a mixture of emotions, ranging from rage to confusion to outright hate. "Fused alloy rounds, Mr. Thunder."

"Exactly, H. You know what that means. Ron Saris is alive and looking to rise again, only now he has support from our favorite terrorist organization, and I have the feeling that he will want to corner the market."

Tony speaks up. "Three questions. First, who is this Ron Saris? Second, how will he corner the market? Third, what are fused alloy rounds?" Jesse answers.

"First, Ron Saris is the most conniving, clever son-of-a-spitting cobra we have ever gone up against. Nothing we ever got on him would ever hold up in court, but that is through no fault of our own. He even tried to file a false claim of police brutality a while back. Second, I think Saris will try to manufacture his own fused alloy bullets."

Calleigh takes over from here. "Finally, a fused alloy round is exactly what it sounds like. Pieces of metal weakly fused together to make a bullet. If it comes into contact with something cold, it stays intact and passes right on through. If it comes into contact with a body of heat, like the human body, the bullet breaks apart into its individual fragments. In other words, a nasty piece of business." The NCIS team absorbs the implication of such ammunition being on the street, available to anyone willing and able to pay.

Erioc voices the concern felt by every person on the teams.

"H, what's our next step? What are we going to do from here?"

"We dig up Denvers' bank accounts. Check for any substantial deposits or withdrawals. Saris will need the money in order to receive his own manufacturing equipment. Without it, he will have to rely on others to make his bullets for him. He will not stand that type of situation for long. Saris' greed will override his need for any substantial quantity of ammunition. Also, keep eyes and ears on the streets, someone who buys these rounds will inevitably brag about it. If even one confesses where and when they bought the rounds, we will be able to get a warrant sworn out for search and arrest of individuals at the location."

Before H can continue, Jesse speaks up.

"I know this is somewhat off topic, but does somebody have a spare phone? Mine is completely and hopelessly out of action." He holds up the impaled cell phone as evidence. Eric tosses him a secondary phone to use temporarily. Jesse secures the phone in a holster, then Horatio continues.

"Once that location has been raided, Saris will start to feel pressure increase on him. He will have to relocate, but we shut this secondary location down as well. Finally, we will do enough damage to him and his efforts to help the Second Confederacy that he will not have any way to make either the rounds or money off the rounds."

With a plan in place and a sense of empowerment, the team heads back to the lab with all the collected evidence. Jesse passes by the front desk, being the first one hauling in evidence, and notices a certain black-haired man talking to the receptionist. Jesse knows the man, and the voice belonging to that man, and has known him for many years.

"Speed? Is it really you?" The man turns to reveal that it is indeed Timothy Speedle, and as far as Jesse can tell, Speed is alive and well. "Jesse, good to see you, bro." The two share a handshake, then Jesse gets to the point. "How is it possible, man? You have some explanations due. I'd start now."

"Well, this makes for a nice greeting."

"Hey, I never said that I'm not glad you're back. I just want to know what was so important that you had to lie to the entire team about it."

"I had that one coming."

"You know it. Anytime you want to start."

Speed takes a deep breath, then launches into a tale that borders on the unbelievable. "I was recruited by the military. I can't say what for, just that it dealt some of the most secretive missions in all the armed forces. The amount of what I can tell you was intensely debated over, and the people who commanded me gave me little to give to others, Jesse."

"Basically, you're saying that you could tell me, but then we'd both be dead."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"So, are they done with you now, Speed? Is your assignment over?"

"I would not be here if it weren't, Jesse." "Great. It's going to be just like the old days having you around, man. I gotta tell you though, things have changed around here."

"Oh, yeah? How so?"

"Well, Speed, for one thing, I'm engaged. Eric and Cal are, too. To each other." Speed stares at Jesse, who only nods. Speed mutters, "About time."

"Yeah, but getting back to the previous subject, how can serving in the military require you to lie to everyone you work with? Speed, that just defies belief. Do me a favor and explain that as best you can, because I can't understand that our armed forces would deem such drastic measures necessary."

Now, just so you know, all the team had been carrying in crates of evidence. Jesse and Speed had been talking while everyone else brought their crates in. Jesse and Speed had gone to a corner, where they couldn't be overheard. The last person to bring something in was Eric. He manages to catch a small part of Jesse's conversation, and the word _'Speed' _specifically used. Now, normally, he would have discarded the word as part of a discussion about drugs, or a recent drug raid, but then he sees the person Jesse was talking to respond to the name. The man turs his head slightly, and Eric can't believe his eyes.

"Speed! What in the world?! You're dead, man! I was at your funeral! We all were!" Eric's exclamations have sent the team running toward him and Jesse. The next half-hour passes with a question-and-answer session, with Speed doing most of the talking. This also introduces the NCIS agents to the one man on the team that could use sarcasm the most sucessfully. True to his personality, Speed had quite a few humorous remarks for the team. However, Speed wasn't the only one talking. He was brought into the loop on the case as it has unfurled so far.

There was one question that had not been answered the whole time, so Jesse brought it up again. "Speed, what branch did you serve in?"

"I really wasn't affliated with any one branch. I served my tour of duty in an ultra top-secret special forces division, one so secret, only the President has files on our activities. That is all I can say on that matter."

Jesse takes Speed's word for it. To be honest, his marriage date was fast approaching, along with that Cal and Eric's, so he didn't want to tempt fate or any particular God, Christian or otherwise. Therefore, he felt it was best to bury the subject, so to speak.


	8. Cry of the Warrior

**_CRY OF THE WARRIOR_**

**_BIG THANKS TO LADYD10, PHINALPHANTASY, AND TIVAFANGIRL1 FOR YOUR REVIEWS. OH, AND PHINALPHANTASY, HOW COULD I FORGET DUCKY?_**

Jesse feels Eric's phone vibrate in his pocket, and he answers the loaned phone.

"Jesse Thunder here."

"Wait a second. Jesse Thunder? I was told by Thomas Denvers that this phone belonged to a contact in the MDPD."

Jesse immediately feels adrenaline start to pump through his body. He also feels some apprehension. 'What if I am the next target? What would happen to Amanda? How would she cope? I mean, she just lost her brother three months ago.' None the less, Jesse can't help but hope that the team may have just gotten one of the biggest breaks in the case. Jesse feels that this could be the best chance they get to put more pressure on the Second Confederacy.

"What's your name, man?"

"My name is not important. What is important is that you and all your allies are dead. The Second Confederacy will prevail as always. Do not even bother trying to fight it."

"Yeah, right, sure. If you're so certain that I'm about to die, what's the harm in telling me who your contact is?"

"I already did. It's the previous owner of the phone. Figure it out for yourself."

The line goes dead. Jesse looks at Eirc with a puzzled expression. "Whose phone was this?"

Eric pauses to think for a second, then replies, "It was Jake's, before he went undercover. Why? Who was that?"

"Soeone who claimed that this phone belonged to a contact in MDPD. He said that Thomas Denvers expressly informed him of this. He also said to tell y'all that we're all going to die, and that the Second Confederacy will prevail."

The expression on the CSI's faces, save for Jesse's, is one of disbelief.

"Wait. Jake? That can't be right. He wouldn't sell out the department."

"Cal, I'm afraid it looks like he's a traitor and a turncoat. One who decided to turn his back on the badge, and the oath he took to uphold the law."

"What do we do now, H? Jake could be onto us, could have been passing infromation onto the Second Confederacy all along."

"Mr. Wolfe, we track down Detective Berkeley, and we put him behind bars."

"That's not going to be easy, H. I mean, he has been undercover for how long, now?"

Jesse has raised a valid point. The team ponders what to do. Horatio is the one who comes up with the plan.

"Does anyone know where Stetler is? If we get him involved, it will be much easier to find Berkeley."

"You're right, H. More people looking for Jake will increase our chances of finding him. Besides, it is always good to have more allies."

With a plan in action, Horatio searches the lab for Rick Stetler. Horatio finds Stetler at his office.

"Rick, you're a hard man to find."

"Oh? What would make you say that, Horatio?"

"I have been looking for you all over the place, Rick."

"I see. What seems to be the problem?"

"There was, and possibly still is, a mole in the department. A mole that no one knew about, or even suspected."

"If you are referring to Ms. Boa Vista, I was under the impression that the issue concerning her had been resolved."

"Actually, that issue has, however, I was not referring to my CSI. I was referring to Detective Berkeley."

"Dectective Berkeley? What are you talking about?"

"The Samuel Bearcloud case, I am quite sure you are familiar with it."

"I am, Horatio. What about it?"

"Another of my CSI's, Mr. Thunder, received a phone call on a spare cell just now. The threat was on all personnel working the case. The caller also specifically said that our prime suspect had informed him that the phone belonged to their contact in MDPD."

"Dectective Berkeley."

"Precisely."

"Well, as you are no doubt well aware, he is currently undercover on an assignment. I am not sure where he is right now. However, the chief might. I recommend talking to him."

"I just might do that, Rick. Thanks for the advice."

As it turns out, the chief does know where Jake is holed up. After hearing all the facts, the chief agrees to give the address fo Detective Berkeley. Jesse volunteers to go bring Jake in. Jesse drives off to Jake's residence, and knocks on the door. Before he can annouce himself, a gun goes off. A high-caliber pistol, to be exact. Luckily, Jesse has a vest on. The vest keeps the bullet from penetrating Jesse's body, but the wind is knocked out of him. Also, Jesse is knocked down the front steps. As he goes for his own weapon, the door opens. The figure in the doorway is revealed to be Kenwall Duquesne. Kenwall runs toward Jesse, and kneels beside him.

"Young man, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were at the door."

Jesse starts sitting up, slowly catching his breath. He turns and looks at Calleigh's father.

"Mr. Duquesne, I'm fine. The vest caught it. Feels like a herd of mustangs ran over me, but nothing serious. I have to ask though, what happened?"

"Before I answer, how do you know who I am?"

"I work with your daughter, sir. My name is Jesse Thunder."

"Ah. Well, as far as what happened, you can see for yourself."

Mr. Duquesne helps Jesse up, and they head back to the door. there, lookin in, Jesse can plainly see Jake Berkeley lying on the floor, dead, with a gunshot wound to the chest. From the location of the wound, Jesse surmises that the round pierced Jake's heart, killing him instantly. Jesse turns toward Mr. Duquesne after careful examination of the body, and has one question.

"Okay, so you two had a confrontation. Jake ended up dead. What I want to know is how he ended up dead."

"Well, young man, he tried to kill me. I will go on record and say that. He pulled a gun on me and threatened my family, including my daughter. For some reason, he set the gun down, then turned around. He started walking away long enough for me to grab the gun. Then, he whirled and tried to attack me, that knife in his hand. I fired the gun, and you know the rest."

"Yeha, as a matter of fact, I do. I still say that felt like a herd of mustangs trampled me."

"I apologize again."

"It was accepted before it was offered. The only problem is that I will have to get some help from the lab on this."

"I understand. Who?"

"Probably my boss, maybe Ryan, or Speed, or Natalia. Just not Calleigh or Eric."

"If he's the one I'm thinking of, I have an idea why he can't. He proposed to my lambchop, right?"

Jesse just grins and pulls his spare phone. He dials Horatio's number.

"H, it's me. We have a problem. Jake's dead. He has been shot to death. I have the one responsible staring right at me. I think he wants to talk to you."

Jesse passes the phone to Mr. Duquesne.

"Lieutenant Caine?"

"Mr. Duquesne. I wasn't expecting this development. You're the one who shot and killed Detective Berkeley?"

"Lt., you got to believe me. I didn't do this in cold blood. It was self-defense."

"Okay, here's what we do. I am on my way. Stay there, Mr. Duquesne. Hand the phone back to CSI Thunder, please."

Jesse receives the phone, and Horatio continues giving instructions.

"Mr. Thunder, I want you to process everything in that room. I want to make absolutely certain that the evidence tells one story, and also that the evidence will hold up in court."

"You got it, H. Am I doing this solo?"

"No. I will send Speed to help process."

"Okay, H. Are we keeping this under wraps for now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is Calleigh going to be told about this?"

"Well, if she is told, it should be done carefully, with tact, and with someone there for her. After all, they did have a relationship."

"Alright, I'll get Eric on board. Anything else, H?"

"Nothing on this end. just get the scene processed, and-"

"Keep you posted. Got it." Jesse hangs up and dials Speed.

"Yo, Speed, got one for you to get back on the horse, so to speak. Meet me at 1453 Coral Fire Drive."

"Oh, really? 1453 Coral Fire Drive? Okay, I'll see you out there."

Jesse went out to his Hummer and grabbed his kit. Starting to procees the scene, Jesse realized that he overlooked a crucial question.

"Mr. Duquesne, why were you here in the first place?"

"What do you mean, young man?"

"Well, we got this address from the chief, who only gave it to us after we explained that there was a potential mole in the department, and that Detective Berkeley was suspected of being the mole. My question is, what were you doing here?"

"Detective Berkeley hired me to represent him in a court issue. He gave me his address and told me to show up today so that he could explain, and so that we could plan where to go from here. It was a ruse. He began spouting how he was going to make Calleigh regret working this case, and I was going to be the first victim."

At that time, Speed entered the house.

"Whoa, what happened here? Who is this?"

"Speed, meet the focus of our efforts to find the mole for the Second Confederacy, Detective Jake Berkeley." Jesse gestures towards the figure on the floor. he continues, "I'm sure that you know who this is." Jesse gestures towards Calleigh's father.

"I certainly do. Hello again, Mr. Duquesne."

"Hello, CSI Speedle. It's good to see you again. I just wish it could be under better circumstances."

"Tell me about it. So, what do we got?"

"Well, we may have a case of self-defense. I'm not saying that I don't believe the account that you gave me, Mr. Duquesne. What I am saying is that we need to follow procedure."

"If we are following procedure, why isn't Mr. Duquesne in the back of your Hummer?"

"Speed, he just gave me his statement. Besides, I didn't have any back-up."

Speed mulls this over, then decides that it's better to just figure out definitively what happened in the house. Doing so meant making sure that everything pertinent would be brought back to the lab. Jesse takes Calleigh's father to the lab, and dials Eric while on the way.

"Eric, how's it going?"

"Going pretty well over here. You on your way back with our suspect?"

"Not quite. Jake's dead. He's been shot."

"What? When? Just give me the address, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"I called Speed, dude. Don't get mad, I just figured if you helped investigate, it would cause a conflict of interest. After all, you are engage to Jake's ex."

"Good point. Any idea who did it?"

"Actually, the one responsible is riding back with me. I need you to meet me at the front doors so that we can tell Calleigh."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, it's that bad."

"Who shot Jake?"

"Calleigh's dad. There is a claim of self-defense. I'm waiting to see how the evidence ends up."

"What do I need to do, then?"

"Find Calleigh for me. I need some help breaking the news to her, and you were the first one I thought of."

"Where do you want me to take her?"

"The one place where I can think that you and her have spent the most time, besides your labs, is the breakroom. That sounds like a good place to get her comfortable."

"Alright, see you back here."

Jesse pulls into the lab ten minutes later. He sets Kenwall in a holding cell, just until they can ascertain one hundred percent what happened. The one detail that sticks out in Jesse's mind is how Kenwall described Jake turning his back on the gun. On a hunch, Jesse has Frank pull Jake's phone records. The records show that Jake recieved a text message around 1:00 p.m., which happens to co-incide with the timeline that had already been established.

Next, Jesse goes to the breakroom. To his relief, Eric has Calleigh already sitting down. Jesse stis down and begins informing Cal of the worst possible news he could give her.

"Cal, Jake's dead."

"What? How? Who? When?"

"He's dead; gunshot to the chest; the who I'll get to later; and the when is just as I knocked on the door to announce myself."

"Who killed him, Jesse? Don't bother stalling. I'll find out one way or another."

"Okay, since you're so desperate to hear the identity of his killer, I'll tell you. However, don't say I didn't warn you. Hearing this is going to hurt. Your dad killed him."

"Daddy? Daddy killed him?"

"As far as what I saw of the scene, and based on the statement your father gave, it was self-defense. However, I am waiting on all the evidence to finish telling its tale before I pass judgement."


	9. Cry of the Warrior, Pt II

**_CRY OF A WARRIOR, PT. 2_**

**_BIG THANKS TO HORATIOCRAVER101, TIVAFANGIRL1, AND PHINAL PHANTASY FOR THIER REVIEWS. MUCH OBLIGED._**

"Did he say why, Jesse?"

"Who?"

"Did Daddy say why he was at that address in the first place? I mean, we didn't know about it until the chief gave it to us. Why was Daddy there, and what went through Jake's head?"

"Well, according to your father, Jake had hired him to help him through some legal trouble of an unknown nature. When your dad arrived, Jake went into a rage. Jake apparently started spouting how you, Calleigh, should have just stayed off the case and that Jake was going to have to kill you dad as a warning. For a reason that your father didn't know, Jake turned around and set the gun down mid-rant. with the help of his phone records, I discovered that Jake received a text message. Apparently, he also sent a reply. Now, as far as what was going through Jake's head past that point, I really don't know. For some reason, he still tried to kill your father, who had managed to grab the gun while Jake had his back turned. Jake lunged with a knife and was shot. Speaking of that, I have to get this vest off. It has valuable evidence in it."

"What evidence?"

"Oh, just the bullet that killed Detective Berkeley. It went through him, through the door, and into my vest."

"Well, you forgot to mention that on the phone."

"I know, Eric, and I did so on purpose. I did not want any IAB complications hindering the case, so I kept silent about that part. If you want to wait or take some time, I understand and will gladly tell Horatio if you need a day off because of these revelations."

"I am fine. Thanks for asking, but I don't need any time off."

Eric asks, "Calleigh, are you sure?"

"Eric, this man willingly chose to betray the oath he took and instead involved himself with a criminal organization. Furthermore, he broke my heart mroe times than I can remember, **_and as if you could forget_**, he tried to kill a member of my family. Of course I'm sure!" She gets up and leaves.

Eric says, "I'll be down in autopsy for the post." He walks out. Jesse turns walks out as well. Jesse walks into his lab, and turns his computer on. While it warms up, he pulls his shirt off. He undoes the straps of his vest, then starts pulling the vest off, only to be stopped by an intense pain in his chest.

'Maybe I managed to ding myself up after all. I'll talk to Dr. Price about it later.' He finally manages to get his vest off, and is in th process of buttoning up his shirt when Ziva walks in.

"Oh, I am sorry, CSI Thunder. I did not mean to, what is the term, break in on you."

"I think you mean 'intrude on', and you didn't. How can I help you?"

"I came to ask your advice on something. I am uncertain of what to do about a certain situation."

"Does this have anything to do with Agent DiNozzo?"

Ziva is surprised that Jesse figures it out that quickly. Jesse grins at the look on her face.

"Ma'am, it is my job to observe my surroundings, whether they be the scene of a crime or the emotions of people I work with. My advice, as far as your relationship with him, is make the first move yourself. Tell him straight out how you feel. You may not know it, but I was there when you were brought into that hospital room; as a matter of fact, I drove you, Agent DiNozzo, and Agent McGee there. When you were in that bed, and no one knew whether you would wake up, Tony, Agent DiNozzo, started praying. I don't know know how often an occurance that is, but it didn't matter. Just as he finished his prayer is when you woke up."

Ziva had known, based on Tony's confession, that he had stayed with her all the time she was in the coma, but she didn't know that he had offered his problems up to God. It made her even more sure of her feelings.

"Thank you for your assistance, CSI Thunder."

"Anytime, ma'am." Meanwile, Jesse's computer had booted up, and he checked his e-mail. He found nothing interesting, or nothing that couldn't wait, until he got to the last e-mail sent. It was sent from his CWR club, and he noted that the anniversary of the battle of Olustee was coming up. He also noted that Thomas Denvers was scheduled to play his ancestor that day as well. Also, he got quite a shock when a Ron Saris look-alike was listed as a character. He dials Horatio's number.

"Hey, H. You have to see this. I have a way to bring down Denvers."

The news spreads like wildfire, and soon the teams are crowded into Jesse's lab. Jesse opens the e-mail once more and shows the teams the contents of the e-mail.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are looking at on this screen is the best chance we could have at bagging Thomas Denvers. What we have here is the upcoming anniversary of the battle of Olustee, Florida. This battle is very significant for us. Not only will Denvers there, but so will Ron Saris. I know, H, that Saris in now a CI, like the rest of the lab, but I have a way of circumventing that."

"How so, Mr. Thunder?"

"The fused alloy rounds in Denvers' house. We can prove that he supplied ammunition to the Second Confedderacy before he became a CI, and is probably continuing to do so, hiding behind his 'status'."

Just then, Rick Stetler walks in.

"What was that about Ron Saris? Horatio, you know that the State's Attorney won't go near his case, thanks to you."

"Stetler, Saris is using and abusing you, and his position, by continuing illicit activity while being a CI."

"Where's your proof? So far, I have only heard bias coming to the defense of your boss, CSI Thunder." Stetler just lost points in the NCIS team members' books. Gibbs decided to speak up.

"Let me tell you something, you pompous, arrogant idiot. This bastard is connected to the murder of a Marine through his dealing with the Second Confederacy. He dealt, and is not going to stop dealing, illegal ammunition to terrorists! Dammit, if you don't allow these guys to bust Saris, then believe me, NCIS will. Stepping on your toes to transport a Federal murder case suspect won't look to good for your department. So, do us both a favor: Stay out of our way."

Stetler is understandably intimidated. He opens, then closes, his mouth at least three times. Finally, he comes to a decision.

"Fine. Horatio, you are allowed to bust him for this charge of munitions supplying, but only for this specific case. Not for anything else, understand?"

"Loud and clear, Rick."

Stetler leaves, then a plan is put together. The NCSI team leaves, then individuals from the CSI team trickle out. Jesse, Speed, and Horatio are the last remaining people in Jesse's lab.

"So, where are we on the Berkeley case, gentlemen?"

"Well, I can't find any evidence that disputes Kenwall's claim that Berkeley tried to kill him, forcing Kenwall to act in self-defense. I really believe that it happened the way Kenwall described it," Speed answered. He continued, "Jesse, you have anything that counters Mr. Duquesne's claim?"

"Nope. I can't find anything that seems out of place in the timeline, or the scene, for that matter. I mean, if Kenwall didn't kill Berekley in self-defense, but instead just shot him in cold blood, it'd take Sherlock Holmes to find the evidence of it."

"So, gentlemen, we have come to a conclusion supported by the evidence. A conclusion that states that Kenwall Duquesne is free to go. I'll have the paperwork drawn up for you two. Go home, get some rest. You guys earned it on this."

**My apologies for the short length. I will more than make up for it next chapter.**


	10. I Need a Medic Here! Get Me a Medic!

**_I NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE! GET ME A MEDIC!_**

**_BIG THANKS TO PHINALPHANTASY FOR YOUR REVIEW._**

While Horatio, Speed, and Jesse are discussing Kenwall Duquesne's fate, Ziva catches up with Tony.

"Tony, I need to talk to you." Tony turns and follows her as she walks toward a secluded part of the Lab.

"I have something I need to tell you, so please do not butt in. I do not exactly know how I feel about you. I think it has been changing since that day in the hospital. I just today learned the entire story. I was touched by your actions that day, and I must confess that you have gotten me completely inside-out. I know that you feel the same way, it just took me longer to come around."

Tony breaks out into one of his famous smiles, then grabs her around the waist. The couple is once again joined in a kiss. Meanwhile, Eric is walking out the door when his cell rings.

"Hello?"

"Eric, it's Frank. I am getting a SWAT team together. We have a tip on where Ron Saris is right now."

"Great! I am on my way." Eric turns around and runs back into the lab. He spots Horatio as Horatio leaves to draw up the paperwork for releasing Kenwall Duquesne.

"H, we have a tip."

"A tip on what?"

"Ron Saris' current location. Frank has a SWAT team mobilizing as we speak."

"All right, go with them. I'll send Jesse and Speed with you. I am on my way to draw up paperwork for Calleigh's father to be released. I'll join you there."

"You got it, H." Eric runs out to his Hummer, then peels out of the parkinglot, siren going. Horatio informs Jesse and Speed of the current situation. They take off for their vehicles, and are seen by the NCISteam. The convoy of law enforcement officers makes to the address in very little time. However, the object of their manhunt has once again eluded them. The house is empty. The teams clear the residence, then go about searchingit. Jesse searches the backyard, and makes a chilling discovery.

"Hey, over here! I found somethingy'all might want to see!" Soon, the backyard is crowded with MDPD and NCIS. The opjects that Jesse attracted attention to are a pair of furnaces, along with some iron structures.

"What was Saris doing back here?"

"Agent Gibbs, I can answer that. You see, he was using these furnaces to smelt lead. I have also examined these structures carefully, and discovered that they are, in fact, molds."

"Molds of what?"

"Bullets."

"So what you're saying, CSIThunder, is that Saris is usingthese for a little backyard fused alloy round making?"

"No. He is usingthem for somethingjust as deadly. He is making Civil War ammunition in his backyard. Specifically, minie balls."

"Well, I remember most of my history class, but I don't remember what the teacher said about minie balls."

"Perhaps I can help, Anthony. You see, when a person received a wound from a minie ball, the bullet itself flattened. If, for example, a soldier shot you in the arm, it would shatter the bone and render it irreparable, even today."

"That's right. Also, if it hit you in the chest, you better hope it barely grazed you. Otherwise, you don't have much of a chance. In fact, you were just left to die on the field of battle."

"So, we are talking massive damage."

"Absolutely correct. In fact, we are talking about one of the reasons battlefield casualties are so high: the poor souls who received such wounds often died. Even for the ones lucky enough to live through their wounds, there was a high risk of infection thanks to sanitary conditions that, quite frankly, would not even come close to allowing a hospital to get started today."

"As the good doctor just stated, the field hospitals were, ironically, more deadly than the battlefields themselves. In fact, two-thirds of Union Army soldiers who died died of disease."

"How many was that?"

"Well, Tony, There were 364,000 Union soldiers killed. Take two-thirds of that figure, and you will have your answer."

"It seems, CSI Thunder, that you have done your homework."

"Well, not to brag, but that's what a history major gets for you, Ducky."

"Okay, that's all well and good, but where is Saris?"

"Right now? Probably on his way to the re-enactment."

"Then that's where we're going. Everybody mount up!"

The teams jump in their vehicles and peel out, headed toward Olustee, where many people have already showed up for the next day's festivities. Among them are Thomas Denvers and Ron Saris. Even though Saris supplied bullets for the Second Confederacy, the two had never met before now.

"Excuse me, are you Thomas Denvers?"

"Kin Ah halp ye?" Like the man who had contracted the hit on Jesse, Ziva, Eric, and Calleigh, Thomas Denvers had a pronounced accent.

"I am the one who has helped you out with bullets. My name is Ron Saris."

"So, yer the feller what give mah men them split-up shells."

"Guilty as charged. Now, I have yet another proposition. I have some self-made minie balls, if you are interested."

"What do Ah need yer minie balls fer? They'll give me those 'til Ah'm full-to-bustin'."

"True. However, mine are somewhat different from the ones offered here. They are just as live as ones from 1862."

Thomas Denvers' ears perked up a bit at that bit of news. His mind was going through the possibilities of what he could do with the minie balls, and that made his mind up for him.

"A'ight, Ah'll take ye up'n yer offer." With those words, the lives of the Miami CSI's and NCIS team would be changed. For with these words, a partnership would be formed. A partnership more dangerous than the Mala Noche and Russian Mafiyacombined. The two walk to Denvers' tent to discuss business plans. They stay there from night until sunrise the next morning.

The next morning is when things really start heating up. Jesse and the teams arrived in Olustee about midnight and promptly found a hotel to stay in. Jesse unpacked his uniform for the battle, and then found a good place to hang it before calling for a wake-up call at 4:30 that morning. See, Jesse didn't need much sleep. He just grinned to himself thinking about the fuss that was to be raised by his coworkers. Then, his thoughts turned to Amanda. He still could not believe that the girl of his dreams had been right in front of him as a kid.

4:30 rolls around quick, but not quick enough for Jesse, who had been awake for a half-hour beforehand. After his 'wake-up' call, he went downstairs to the deli, which he had noted when he pulled in, opened at 4:15. Not surprising for him, he finds Gibbs getting a cup of coffee.

'I swear that man has coffee in his veins rather than blood. I wonder what the caffeine content of his blood looks like.' Jesse thought. He managed to get Gibbs' attention.

"You're up early, Thunder."

"Well Gibbs, I didn't want to miss the fun that starts in about a half-hour. The actual re-enactment starts around then. I want to be there when it happens. We'll have a better chance of catching Denvers and Saris by surprise." As Jesse speaks, members of the teams start filing down to the deli. Calleigh, usually bright and chipper, was decidedly the opposite.

"Okay, I know that I am a morning person, but this is pushing it." Most of the team nodded in agreement.

"Well, Cal, I think you'll forget how tired you are when we get to the battle."

"Oh really? How is that Jesse?"

"Nat, you just have to trust me on this. You will forget how tired you are. I always do, no matter what." And Jesse is right. Just as the teams arrive, Jesse in his Confederate Calvary uniform, several re-enactorsfire their weapons. The teams each have a thrill of adrenaline go through them. Jesse is proved right; they are able to forget how tired they are. Jesse leaves to check in with the organizers, and the team walks the field, searching every face for Denvers or Saris. Jesse is the first to spot Denvers. He uses a radio.

"Listen up, guys. I have visual on Denvers. Saris is nowhere in sight. Repeat, Saris is nowhere in sight."

"Roger that, Jesse. What's the plan for bringing down Denvers?"

"Well, I'm thinking that I'll employ a little acting." Little did he know it would be deadly acting, with deadly consequences. Jesse turns to keep an eye on Denvers, waiting on backup, continually feeding them updates, drawing the net closed on Denvers. Then, a charge was ordered, Jesse's unit on the flank. As he rides away, he notices Denvers hang back.

'Perfect. There's my opportunity. When we get back, I'll accuse him of cowardice.' The charge is successful, as history says it should be, and Jesse rides back unscathed. The first thinghe notices is that during the charge, the team has taken up positions surrounding Denvers. He smiles.

'Showtime.' The target of his desires walks out of a small building, staggering slightly. Jesse makes his move.

"Thomas Denvers, you are a coward! You bastard, you sat back, getting drunk, while we risked our lives on that charge! I say agian, you are a coward!"

"Ah doan hafta take this bullshit from no Injun piece of shit! I am superior to ye! You ain't nuthin' but a little red prick who doan kow his place! Besides, that thar charge was gunna be nuthin' but suicide!"

"Suicide? We barely lost anyone! You are a coward!" By this time, the team has their guns drawn and aimed. However, Denvers does the unexpected. he draws his own weapon.

"Ye see this hyar gun? I got my own bullets in it, given to me by a friend."

"You mean Ron Saris."

"Yep, that's him alright. Now I'm agonna see if'n these thangs work." Denvers fires one shot. That one shot is answered by a volley from the team. Two people fall from gunshot wounds: Denvers and Jesse. Denvers is undoubtedly dead, and the same is feared for Jesse. The round struck Jesse in the forehead. For a brief moment, the NCIS agents, save for Ziva, are reminded of Kate Todd's death. Then, inexplicably, Jesse moves.

"Oww... What hit me?"

"Stay down, Jesse, stay down!"

"Seriously, what hit me?"

"You just took a live minie ball to the head. I don't know how you're still alive."

"Yeah, well, Eric, that would explain the artillery duel raging in my forehead."

"I've never seen anything like this, man, I don't know of anyone who has lived through what you just did."

"Actually, Anthony, this reminds me of an identical occurrence during the war itself."

"Ducky, if we're on the same page, I know exactly what you're going to say. You're about to refer to the soldier who had the ball break in half upon hitting his forehead, right?"

"Precisely. It appears that the round in your case has behaved similarly."

"In that case, where's the other half?"

"Um, Jesse, don't you think you need to be looked at by a doctor or somebody?"

"Eric, that ball barely even broke the skin. I'm fine. Don't know how, but I'm fine."

"Even so, Mr. Thunder, I recommend you get looked at by someone, at least let the medics check on you."

"Well, if that's the doctor's orders, how can I refuse. Good thing you rode along, Ducky. This'll be two I owe you."

Then, a figure walks out of the woods. It's Ron Saris. Not only that, but he's got a rather large gun. A re-enactor stops him.

"Hey! That gun's not a period piece! You have to take it off the battlefield!" Saris' answer is to shoot the re-enactor in the chest, killing him. The team's attention is drawn by the shouts, and they witness the cold-blooded murder, which makes them even more committed to bringing Saris down. Jesse stands and runs for his horse. He is about to mount when he is noticed.

"Jesse?! What do you think you're doing!?!?"

"You saw what he just did! I am personally bringing that scumbag down!" With that, he rides off to gather his unit aroudn him for help.

"Alright boys, listen up. We just had a guy come on the battlefield and kill one of our own re-enactors. Are we going to let that dirtbag get away with it?"

"NO, SIR!" came the response.

"Well then, mount up and follow me like normal!" Jesse's unit jumps on thier horses and takes off after Jesse, who has charged after Saris. He finds Saris is in a gun battle with the team. He may be outnumbered, but he has taken up a good position to hide from people on the ground, but leaves him vulnerable to calvarymen. He realizes, for he runs, firing as he goes, while Jesse's unit draws near.

"Just between you and me, y'all, it seems that Saris knows more about retreating than fighting." That comment elicits a laugh form the team and the calvary unit. Unfortunately for Saris, he ran into an area with no cover whatsoever. Jesse knows Saris is trapped, and that Saris will not go down without a fight.

"Listen up! Watch this guy for signs he is about to shoot you! Other than that, CHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!" The command energizes the unit, who pursue their objective with brand new zeal. They finally corner Saris and surround him. Before he can let a shot off, the weapon is confiscated by one of the calvarymen. Jesse rides up and offers his congratualtions.

"Great job, men. That quite possibly was your finest hour. Now, I'm going to escort the prisoner back to my colleagues. Once again, excellent work." Jesse reverses direction and saunters back with Saris draped over the horse, thanks to a quick-thinking re-enactor who restrained him. Jesse climbs off the horse and pulls Saris off next. Saris tries to stand up, but falls to the ground. People don't really try to help him up. He finally stands after considerable effort.

"Thanks for helping me up," he grumbles sarcastically. Jesse has just one question. "Did you happen to hear about Denvers' house going up?"

"Yeah, I managed to get word about that. it seems the explosives I placed in that tinderbox did their job. What exactly am I being charged with here? I'll be in and out of court relativley quickly. I mean, you guys have nothing. Denvers is dead." Jesse's cool exterior finally cracks. He whithers Saris' surface arrogance by exposing the true fury of a Seminole warrior.

"YOU MURDERING ASSHOLE! YOU NEARLY KILL ME, HELP THE MAN WHO ORDERED THE DEATH OF MY BROTHER WARRIOR, KILL A FELLOW RE-ENACTOR, TRY TO RUN, THEN HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK WHAT YOU'RE BEING CHARGED ON THE PRESUMPTION THAT YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH IT?!?!?!"

Saris barely regains his composure. "Pretty much." Jesse is about to tear into Saris anew when the entire NCIS team stops him. Gibbs quickly takes control of the situation.

"By the way, Saris, we found the equipment that you used in your backyard. Not only are you under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder of a police officer, murder in the first degree, and resisting arrest, NCIS is arresting you for numerous Federal munitions manufacturing charges. You're not making it out of this, dirtbag." Horatio sums it up perfectly for his nemesis.

"In other words, Ron, you finally got into a situation that not even our CI program can get you out of. You are going down for good." Ron visibly pales, to the satisfaction of the entire team. As he is being lead away by a patrolman, Jesse stops him.

"Hey Ron. Consider yourself lucky that we fire blanks around here. Otherwise, my men would have made damn sure that they would be the ones to enact justice on the part of their fallen brother, whose blood is on your hands." Jesse finally allows a medic to look him over for any signs of lasting damage from the shot to the head.

"Well, CSI Thunder, it's quite remarkable. You don't seem to even have a concussion from that bullet in your forehead. However, I do believe we will have to operate to remove the fragment."

"Say what? The thing barely even went through my skin. It's probably an inch or less deep in my head. It'd be easier and cheaper just to use a pair of tweezers and pull it out."

"That may be, but it is also much more painful."

"Hey man, I've been knocked down flights of stairs, shot, nearly blown to pieces, and hit in the head by a vase. Not to mention the fact that I had several pieces of hot metal shrapnel go through me. You really think that pain bothers me that much?"

"First off, no. Second off, how have you lived this long?"

"I got some friends hanging out with the Man Upstairs, if you catch my drift." Jesse stands and says, "You know, now that this case has been closed, what do y'all say we hit up a good place to eat. I know a great family-owned restaurant near here. And when I say family-owned, I mean family-owned. As in, my family. Dad's been the cook there for, oh, ten years now. Mom's still serving them up right alongside him. Little ol' place down the road from here that offers a wide selection."

"After a day like today, I could use a good meal. I mean, we didn't really get breakfast anyhow." Ryan's statement is met by much agreeance. Jesse takes the lead whle the team follows tto the roadside diner. Jesse walks in and starts a conversation with the waiter.

"Hey Ernie, is my table in the back open?"

"Mr. Thunder, what a pleasant surprise. And yes, your table is open."

"Ernie, I keep telling you, dad is Mr. Thunder. As far as my table goes, would you mind pulling a couple of them together for me? I've got a decent sized group."

"Great! I'll set that up and let your father know you've stopped in." Just then, he gets a call on his cell. He checks the caller ID and sees it is Amanda.

"Hey, Mandy. What's up?"

"You and I need to talk when you get back, mister."

"That sounds ominous. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. We just need to talk."

"Well, why not just tell me over the phone?'

"Okay." In a whisper, "Jesse, I'm pregnant."

Jesse's face instantly goes from concerned to elated. He pumps his fist into the air and comes close to letting out rebel yell of joy. He continues speaking.

"You're sure about this?"

"The doctor confirmed it today."

"Well, I have more good news. We got the guy, honey. We caught the dirtbag that ordered Samuel's death. He's dead."

"He won't be bothering us anymore?"

"Not him, and not his organization. It's over, sweetheart."

Then the waiter comes back to guide the party to their table. As they seat themselves, Frank asks a question.

"So, what was that all about?"

"Oh, just Amanda calling."

"You were that excited to hear her voice?"

"Well, she uh, she had a little surprise for me. She is pregnant."

The team is shocked silent, then starts cheering loudly. Jesse's dad comes in to see what all the commotion is about.

"Jesse, my boy, how are you? Who are these people?"

"Dad, good to see you too. These are my co-workers: my boss, Horatio Caine; our resident ballistics expert, Calleigh Duquesne; water recovery extraordinare, Eric Delko; DNA specialist Natalia Boa Vista; chemist of the group, Tim Speedle; and finally, last but not least, Miami-Dade's own Ryan Wolfe. These persons over here-" he gestures towards the NCIS team, "-are Federal agents from NCIS. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David, Timothy McGee and Dr. Mallard."

"Well, son, what can I do for you?"

"We're here to get a good meal, dad. We just closed a case. Can you help us out here?"

"I sure can. Breakfast special's coming right up." Jesse's dad walks away. The team converses amongst themselves until the food comes. Then, they eat like a pack of wild animals came through the front door and sat down. The meal last a good half-hour, then Jesse pays for everybody so they can leave that much faster. Jess'e dad stops him as he leaves.

"So?"

"So, what, dad?"

"What was all that noise about when you frist got here?"

"Oh, that was about some news that Amanda gave me. You are going to be a grandfather."

"I see. You know, you should stop by your uncle's bar tonight. Karaoke night."

"Dad, I just might do that." Jesse walks out the door and joins the team.

"Guys, we should have a going away party for our friends from NCIS. My uncle has a bar close to downtown Miami, and, according to my dad, there will be karaoke tonight." The suggestion is met by much agreeance. Plans are made for a meeting at seven o'clock that night. They leave the diner and begin the long drive back to Miami. The team stops at the crime lab to drop their prisoner off in holding to await trial.

**_SOME SURPRISES WILL BE WITHHELD UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER. IS ANYONE WILLING TO RECOMMEND SONGS FOR THE TEAM TO SING AT THE BAR?_**


	11. The Chapter of Songs

**_THE CHAPTER OF SONGS_**

**_THANKS TO PHINALPHANTASY FOR YOUR REVIEW._**

**_I DON'T OWN THE SONGS USED IN THIS CHAPTER. (WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL, THERE'S ONE IN EVERY CROWD, 50,000 NAMES, HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, AND THIS AIN'T NO THINKING THING.)_**

Jesse and the crew stop by the bar that evening. Jesse walks in, Amanda right beside him.

"Hey Uncle Joe! How's the business been?"

"Can't complain, Jesse. How are you doing?"

"Well, if I told you everything that has happened to me in the past two days, you would have a heart attack."

"Uh huh. Well, at least now you can relax, right?"

"That's why we're here, Uncle Joe. I personally want to get a crack at the karaoke machine."

"Well, let me get it fired up for you. Is the entire group with you?"

"That's correct."

"Okay, you all don't have to pay. It's on the house."

"You don't have to do that, Uncle Joe."

"And you don't have to risk your life every day, Jesse. You and your coworkers don't have to go out the door knowing it could be your last day."

"Well, anyway, thanks Uncle Joe."

"Don't thank me. Just get up there and sing, will you?"

"YEAH!!!!"

"Well, okay, if y'all want to hear it, I'll take first crack. Amanda, will you come up here and do me the honor of performing with me?" Nervously, Amanda steps up to the platform and a classic by Kieth Whitley starts to play. Jesse take the first part of the verse.

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart  
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark_

Amanda takes over.

_Try as I may I could never explain  
What I hear when you don't say a thing_

The couple joins for the chorus.

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me  
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me  
The touch of hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall  
You say it best when you say nothing at all_

Amanda begins the second verse, but not in English. She begins singing in Seminole. Jesse follows suit midway through the verse.

(A/N TIME!!! THE SEMINOLE DIALECTS, MICCOSUKEE AND MUSKOGEE CREEK, ARE NOT WRITTEN DIALECTS, SO I AM JUST USING THE REST OF THE SONG LYRICS HERE.)

_All day long I can hear people talking out loud  
But when you draw me near, you drown out the crowd  
Old Mr. Webster could never define  
What's being said between your heart and mine_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me  
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me  
The touch of hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall  
You say it best when you say nothing at all_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me  
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me  
The touch of hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall  
You say it best when you say nothing at all_

The song draws to a close, and Jesse takes Amanda's hand, bowing. He decides to make life difficult for Eric and picks on him to be the next one up.

"Come on, Eric! Your turn!" Eric's facial expression turns to one of dismay before thinking of the song he wanted to perform. He stands up and walks to the platform, selecting a Montgomery Gentry tune. The music begins, and he awaits the first note.

_Golden Tee, shuffleboard, pinball, he's got the score  
that everybody around here's tryin to beat,  
he's a six pack up when he walks in,  
tells the band crank it up to 10,  
then he's up dancin on his seat,  
well he's a big mouth, yellin' hey play some free bird,  
says give me three steps and nobody gets hurt,  
then he takes off his shirt_

_There's one in every crowd,  
brings the party in us out,  
good time charley with a harley, whiskey bent and hellbound,  
he's got the next round, but he always drinks for free,  
there's one in every crowd, and it's usually me,  
hey ya'll, hey ya'll, hey ya'll, there's one in every crowd_

_Got a fliptop box of marlboros,  
he'll bum a light and steal your girl,  
then laugh at you for gettin' all upset, well everybody here knows his name,  
makes everybody else look sane,  
when he's out, as far as you can get,  
in his mind he's a rock star, crankin' out that air guitar,  
til the bartender says fool, get off my bar_

_There's one in every crowd,  
that brings the party in us out,  
good time charley with a harley, whiskey bent and hellbound,  
he's got the next round, but he always drinks for free,  
there's one in every crowd, and it's usually me,  
hey ya'll, hey ya'll, hey ya'll, there's one in every crowd  
_

_He's a hard drinkin man's man,  
and women love him when they can,  
he's a bartender's best friend,  
it ain't a party till he walks in_

_There's one in every crowd,  
that brings the party in us out,  
good time charley with a harley, whiskey bent and hellbound,  
he's got the next round, but he always drinks for free,  
there's one in every crowd, and it's usually me,  
hey ya'll, hey ya'll, hey ya'll, there's one in every crowd_

_It's usually me, hey ya'll, hey ya'll, hey ya'll, there's one in every crowd, that's right_

Jesse grins, looks at Tony and says, "Hey DiNozzo, that sounds like you. Except for the Marlboros, and the whiskey, of course." Next, Gibbs volunteers, to everyone's surprise.

"I better get this over with quick, right?" he mutters gruffly. Gibbs decides to pay homage to his military roots and to those who lost a family member in Vietnam with a George Jones classic.

_There are teddy bears & high school rings  
and old photographs that mamas bring  
The daddies with their young boys, playing ball.  
There's combat boots that he used to wear,  
When he was sent over there.  
There's 50,000 names carved in the wall _

_There's cigarettes, and there's cans of beer  
and notes that say I miss you dear  
and children who don't say anything at all.  
There's purple hearts and packs of gum  
fatherless daughters and fatherless sons  
and there's 50,000 names carved in the wall _

_They come from all across this land  
In pickup trucks and mini vans  
Searching for a boy from long ago  
They scan the wall and find his name  
The teardrops fall like pouring rain  
and silently they leave a gift and go _

_There's stars of David & rosary beads  
and crucifixion figurines  
and flowers of all colors large and small  
There's a Boy Scout badge and a merit pin  
Little American flags waving in the wind  
and there's 50,000 names carved in the wall._

The entire bar erupts in applause. Gibbs steps down, eager to get the next person up. Ziva jumps at the chance and becomes the next vocalist. Her choice is a true American classic, written in the 1800's: The House of the Rising Sun.

_There is a house in New Orleans  
They call the Rising Sun  
It's been the ruin of many a poor girl  
And me, oh God, I'm one_

_My mother was a tailor  
She sewed these new bluejeans  
My sweetheart was a gambler  
Way down in New Orleans_

_Now the only thing a gambler needs  
Is a suitcase and trunk  
And the only time he's satisfied  
Is when he's on a drunk_

_He'd fill his glasses up to the brim  
And he'd pass the cards around  
And the only pleasure he gets out of life  
Is rambling from town to town_

_Go and tell my baby sister  
Not to do what I have done  
Go and shun that house  
Down in New Orleans  
They call the Rising Sun_

_Well, I got one foot on the platform  
The other foot on the train  
I'm goin' back to New Orleans  
To wear that ball and chain_

_I'm going back to New Orleans  
My race is almost run  
I'm going back to spend my life  
Beneath the Rising Sun_

_There is a house down in New Orleans  
They call the Rising Sun  
And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl  
And me, oh God, I'm one  
_

Ziva steps down, leaving a group of stunned law-enforcement agents in her wake. No one knew that she could sing that well. Tony shook off his shock first and became the next "victim._"_

_I been thinkin' 'bout our love situation  
All this attraction in the present tense  
I've reached the only logical conclusion  
Love ain't supposed to make sense_

_This ain't no thinkin' thing  
Right brain, left brain  
It goes a little deeper than that  
It's a chemical, physical, emotional devotion  
Passion that we can't hold back  
There's nothin' that we need to analyze  
There ain't no rhyme or reason why  
Cause this ain't, this ain't no thinkin' thing_

_Forget mathematical equations  
Self help psychology  
Gray matter don't matter much darlin'  
When it's gettin' down to you and me_

_This ain't no thinkin' thing  
Right brain, left brain  
It goes a little deeper than that  
It's a chemical, physical, emotional devotion  
Passion that we can't hold back  
There's nothin' that we need to analyze  
There ain't no rhyme or reason why  
Cause this ain't, this ain't no thinkin' thing_

_There's nothing that we need to analyze  
There ain't no rhyme or reason why  
'Cause this ain't, this ain't no thinkin' thing  
This ain't, no, this ain't no thinkin' thing_

* * *

While Tony was up singing, a man walked into the bar. He sat down in a corner seat and watched a particular individual in the bar: Ziva. This was Michael Rivkin, a man on a mission blessed by Ziva's own father. A mission to seduce Ziva and try to turn her against her family at NCIS. As Tony steps down, he notices the man in the corner and how he is watching Ziva. He sits down beside her and places his arm around her shoulder.

"Don't look now, but there's a guy in the corner, back by the bar, watching you." She turns, and sees Michael. Fear and confusion grip her. _'Why is he here? Has my father not stopped using me? It makes no sense.' _Tony notices her look of alarm, and decides to ask.

"Do you know that guy, Zi? You look like you saw a ghost."

"He is Mossad, but why he is here I cannot imagine."

"Well, let´s go introduce ourselves." Jesse got up and walked over to the stranger at the bar. He signaled to his uncle that a drink would be in order.

"Can I get you something, mister?"

"No, thank you. I have just come looking for a friend."

"Cut the horse manure. We both know you have been here longer than you claim, and you have been watching a friend of mine like you are stalking her. Care to explain?"

"No, I don't. Who are you to make such extravagant claims?"

"Jesse Thunder, CSI, Miami-Dade Police Department. I suggest you answer my questions before you get put on the ground and lead out of here in a pair of metal bracelets commonly referred to as handcuffs."

"You and what army?"

"I don't need an army to bring you down, just a well-placed bullet. Or maybe a kick."

"I beg to differ. You'll find it harder than that to take me in."

"Personally, I was thinking of not taking you in, just putting a bullet in your head and burying you in an unmarked grave so you can rot."

"You wouldn't kill me."

"True, which brings me to the second option, a well-placed kick below the belt. Even the toughest son-of-a-spitting cobra can only take one good kick there."

"On what grounds would you resort to such means? I am not resisting arrest."

"No, but you are lying to a law-enforcement officer, and we don't take kindly to that. In order to avoid conflict, however, I am going to request that you leave now, before anything big goes down." Rivkin's answer is to pull a pistol and point it at Jesse's face.

"I will leave when and only when I want to, and you cannto make me do anything different." The next thing he hears is the sound of a pump-action shotgun being loaded.

"Look, I don't know who you are, and I don't care. I will blow your head off if you do not drop that pistol right now." Micheal turns toward Jesse's uncle, which gives Jesse room to maneuver. He lashes out, aiming for Rivkin's wrist with his own hand, and makes solid contact. Rivkin drops the handgun, yelling in pain. Jesse puts Rivkin on the ground and then in handcuffs. Jesse leads Rivkin outside and deposits him in the back seat of his Hummer. Jesse then walks back inside, calm as can be.

"I don't believe that he will bother us for a while, if ever again." The teams decide to call it a night. If only they knew what would face them because of Jesse's actions.


	12. Author's Note II

**I NEED HELP BADLY!!!**

**OKAY EVERYONE, I HAVE RUN OUT OF INSPIRATION FOR _SEMINOLE WIND_, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE NOT UPDATED IN A VERY LONG TIME. NOW I COME TO YOU, THE READERS, AND, ULTIMATELY THE DRVING FORCE BEHIND THIS STORY. ANY IDEAS ANYONE HAS WOULD BE MOST WELCOME. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!**


	13. Hello, Trouble Come on in

**_OUR PROBLEMS HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN_**

**_THANKS TO PHINALPHANTASY AND SHERLOCKHOLMESQUEEN4EVER FOR YOUR REVIEWS. SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT. TO SHERLOCKHOLMESQUEEN4EVER, IN REGARDS TO YOUR PAIRING SUGGESTION, I CAN'T MAKE ANY PROMISES, BUT I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO. THANK YOU._**

Michael Rivkin was taken inside the Crime Lab, processed, and put in a holding cell. By a sheer circumstance, his is the cell next to Ron Saris. Saris immediately takes notice of his newfound companion, specifically of how he seemed foreign, and also of how he exuded some kind of knowledge of several types of martial arts. Saris began to plan, indeed, he began to think he might have a shorter stay than the CSIs had intended. He decides to strike up a conversation. The two spoke for a time, lamenting how they ended up in a holding cell. Soon, a figure that Michael Rivkin never thought he would see outside of Israel. It was Director David himself. Michael stood as the Director came to his cell.

"Director David. I did not expect to see you here."

"Enough talk. I am here to get you released."

"Good luck with that, Director. I doubt the local law enforcement will appreciate you attempting this."

"I do not care. If they get in my way, I will crush them." Saris immediately took a liking to this Director David. Director David walked away, looking for an officer to release Michael Rivkin. He finds Jesse working on paaperwork.

"Excuse me, officer?"

"Yes, sir, may I help you?"

"Yes, I am trying to get someone who is being held here released."

"Why? Are you his legal representation?"

"No, I am his boss."

"Well, okay then. Who is the prisoner?"

"Michael Rivkin."

"Okay. There's a problem with your plan. Mr. Rivkin has not yet been before a court to determine the amount of his bail. We can't release him."

"Nonsense. He will be released."

"Sir, we cannot do that."

"I am not asking you to release him. I am ordering you."

"Yeah? Good luck with getting me to follow your orders. I generally don't listen to those who try to help criminals escape."

Director David was starting to get angry. "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are. You could be the head of INTERPOL for all I care. I still would not release your employee."

"I am the head of Mossad!"

"I will say it again. I don't care who you are. I am not releasing our suspect into your hands. I don't care if you're the Secretary-General of the United Nations!"

"LIsten to me you insect, I am ordering you to release him!" Just then, he spots the NCIS team who had heard the commotion and came to see what was going on.

"Hey, guys. Can you believe this? This guy wants Michael Rivkin released into his custody."

"You know who he is right?"

"Yeah, he's informed me of that already. I don't care."

"You don't care? He's the head of Mossad!"

"Yeah, and your point is what? He also referred to me as an insect, something I don't take kindly to at all." Jesse continues to stare down Director David. Until he was ordered otheriwse by an outranking officer, there was no way he was letting Michael Rivkin go.

"Insect, huh? Yeah, you probably have good reason to dislike the guy."

"You could say that, Tony."

"I wouldn't turn around in his presence either. He'll probably cut you down without a second thought."

"Wasn't planning on it, McGee. Thanks." Gibbs walks up beside Jesse and says, "Director David, the way I see it you have two choices. Either walk out of here empty-handed, or..."

"Or what?"

"Or nothing. There isn't really a second choice. Rivkin stays here."

"That is ridiculous! You have no authority to continue to hold him! You are risking the friendship of our two nations, Agent Gibbs!"

"I never was one for politics."

"Sir, I think you have one option. Walk out of here. Now."

Director David does nothing. He just looks at Ziva.

"I am disappointed, daughter. Your sevice to these agents have made you soft. You can expect new orders by the end of today."

"No. I will not follow the orders of someone who tries to free someone who deserves to be in prison. Consider this my resignation." Director David becomes enraged. He draws his own personal firearm.

"Okay, now that was about the stupidest thing you could have done. You just pulled a gun in the middle of Miami-Dade's Crime Lab." Jesse draws his own pistol and keeps the barrel trained on Director David's torso. "Keep your hands where I can see them and set your weapon on the ground."

"Jesse, I have a better idea. Let him go. Director David, leave and do not come back, under any circumstances. Understand?"

"I believe I will take the opening and leave. However, do not think that this is over."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Director David turns and walks away. One Tony goes to follow, but Jesse stops him.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, Tony. You never know, he might have posted snipers somewhere watching the doors for anyone coming out that he didn't want to."

"Good point. I think I'll stay here."

"Hey, H? Can we get a SWAT team geared up? I think a check of the surrounding rooftops is in order." Soon, there is a SWAT team mobilizd, moving on rooftops surrounding the Crime Lab, but they find nothing. As Director David walks away, he walks past the holding cells on purpose. He loudly apologizes to Rivkin for being unable to free him. As Director David does so, he passes a key to Rivkin. Rivkin conceals the key. Saris notices but says nothing, biding his time. The next day, Rivkin and Saris are taken out of their cell and to the courthouse for their bail hearings. As Rivkin is walked to the county van, he uses the key he had hidden to unlock his cuffs. He takes a gun from one of the escorting officers and then begins shooting. Two officers are hit. Rivkin then turns to face Saris who had addressed him.

"Hey let me out of these! I can help you! Just let me go!"

"Okay." Rivkin fires again, killing Saris. The teams were taking lunch when the call goes out.

"All units, shots fired! Prisoner escaping! Officers Down!" The teams race to the scene, finding Saris dead and Rivkin escaped. A search of the area reveals nothing except the handcuffs and shackles. Calleigh and Eric are assigned to comb the area with patrol officers as back-up. Jesse and McGee are another, Tony and Ziva, Ryan and Natalia, and finally Horatio and Gibbs form the last team. The teams don't find much, until Calleigh and Eric come upon a grove of trees. Immediately, they come under fire. Calleigh is hit, and Eric covers her, emptying his magazine. Rivkin gets hit, and runs. Eric applys pressure on Calleigh's wound, then calls for help.

"I need help! Shots fired! Officer down! Get me an ambulance!" Everyone races to Eric's location. One look tells all that it's serious enough to require hospitalization. Eric kneels by Calleigh, pleading with her.

"Come on Calleigh! Don't do this to me! You're tougher than this! Stay with me!" The ambulance rushes Calleigh to the hospital, and the teams begin to process the scene. Jesse is working in the grove when he finds blood.

"I got blood over here! Looks like Eric hit Rivkin before Rivkin fled."

"Good to know. We'll broadcast the information in his BOLO."

"My question is how did Rivkin get out of his restraints?"

"He must have had a key in his possession."

"How? We searched him and found no key."

"One had to have been slipped to him at the Lab. We need to go through the camera footage." Jesse leaves and heads back to the Lab with the evidence and then goes to the A/V lab.

"Hey Sam. I need a favor from you."

"Sure Jesse. What's up?"

"I need camera footage from the Lab."

"Any specific part?"

"Holding."

"Why Holding?"

"You haven't heard have you?" She shakes her head no.

"The prisoner that was brought in last night, Rivkin, escaped on his way to trial this morning. He shot two patrolmen and killed Ron Saris."

"Whoa."

"That's not the worst of it. Right now, Calleigh is en route to a hospital because of this guy."

"So you want to see how he was able to escape?"

"If we're that lucky." Sam types for a few seconds, then video footage pops up. Jesse watches as Director David comes into Holding, converses with Rivkin, then leaves. Minutes later Director David comes back and converses with Rivkin once again. Jesse watches David walk away, feeling like something isn't right.

"Sam, back that up for me would you?"

"Sure." The tape rewinds and Jesse again watches Director David talk with Rivkin before leaving, but he spots the Director's hand move toward the cell.

"Sam, one more time."

"You think you got something?"

"Possible. Watch his hand as he comes up to the cell." The third showing indeed reveals a key being handed to Rivkin, who hides it.

"I'll be damned. The Director of Mossad helped our prisoner escape."

"Wait. This guy is the Director of Mossad?"

"Yeah, and he knowingly broke the law. H is going to love this. Thanks a lot."

"Hey Jesse?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"When you catch this guy, will you slug him once for me and the rest of the Lab?"

"If he tries to resist."

"Good enough for me." Jesse walks out and dials Horatio.

"H, you're never going to believe this." Horatio hangs up after a brief conversation with Jesse.

"Agent Gibbs, a word?"

"What do you got?"

"Our new friend Director David on video handing a key to our escapee. Looks like he got his wish."

"This just gets better and better."

"What's our move now?"

"Well, we will have to make sure that neither David or Rivkin can come back to the States."

"How? They are representatives of a foreign power in this country. We can't just kill them."

"No, but we can force them to leave." Gibbs dials NCIS headquarters.

"This is Special Agent Gibbs. I need the director right away."

"Hang on, Agent Gibbs. I am patching you through now."

"Yes, Cynthia?"

"Agent Gibbs is asking for you, Director Shepard."

"What line?"

"Line one."

"Thank you. What do you need, Jethro?"

"A warrant to send the director of Mossad and one of his agents out of the country."

"Any particular reason?"

"Yeah. The agent shot a cop while escaping custody, and the Director helped him escape."

"I'll have Legal work one up. It'll take time."

"We'll find them, Jen."

"You better. I do not want rogue agents running around loose anywhere in our territory again."

"Not sure that this guy is rogue."

"Why?"

"Director David personally showed up to try to get Rivkin released first."

"Jethro, if you're right, then we have an international firestorm."

"That's putting it mildly, Jen."

"Do you have any idea where either one could have gone?"

"Rivkin was injured in the exchange. We've sent out notices to nearby hospitals."

"Good. Keep me in the loop." Gibbs hangs up and begins giving orders to his team, who get a BOLO out for Rivkin. Jesse heads out to local hospitals with a picture of Rivkin, hoping beyond hope that he was still in the area. As a matter of fact, Rivkin had fled to his hotel room. There, he arranged to meet Director David. Director David arrives soon after, while Rivkin is patching himself up.

"Director David, I am glad to see you again as a free man."

"It is good to know that the restraints were not too difficult to free yourself from. I see that you are wounded."

"Merely a scratch. I've been hurt worse by papercuts."

"Even so, you should get it tended to by a professional. We shall soon leave, and airport security tends to notice things such as gunshot wounds."

"Yes, Director. At once." Director David walks out of the room. Rivkin uses his phone to call a taxi and is driven to the nearest hospital. Ironically, Calleigh arrives in an ambulance at the same hospital. Jesse stops there first to distribute photos of Rivkin. He converses with the security officers there, and briefs them on the threat. Then, he notices the ambulance unload Calleigh. He moves to the main lobby and watches grimly. Eric steps beside him and doesn't say anything.

"We'll catch the dirtbag."

"Yeah, we will."

"Man, I wonder how Calleigh is going to like winding up back in one of these."

"After what happened last year, probably not very much."

"Hey, you stay here Eric. I'm finding a drink."

"You know it." Jesse walks away, looking for the cafeteria. He comes back, sodas in hand.

"Got you one." Jesse hands one over to Eric.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Any word yet?"

"No. I guess she's in-" Eric stops as he spots Rivkin being led to an examination room. He gets up, followed by Jesse. They intercept the doctor after Rivkin has been settled.

"Doc, we need to talk to you for a moment. MDPD."

"Certainly. How may I help you, gentlemen?"

"The person you just left-"

"Yes, Martin Rikleav."

"He is a wanted fugitive by the name of Micheal Rivkin. What we need is to arrest him."

"Certainly. However, can it wait until he is patched up?"

"Only if one of us is allowed in the room to make sure that he doesn't try to escape again."

"Fine."

"Eric, I'll stay with Rivkin. You go back and wait for word about Calleigh."

"Deal." Jesse waits outside the door until the doctor finishes. He then places Rivkin under arrest.

"Doc, you got a bullet for me?"

"Right here." Jesse takes the bullet and places it in an evidence container. Then he handcuffs Rivkin and leads him out. Eric sees Jesse and walks over.

"Any trouble?"

"Nope. Any word?"

"Yeah. The bullet missed everything vital, it was removed without a problem, and they were closing her up when the nurse told me."

"Your lucky day, Rivkin. You only get charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, instead of two and one count of murder of a police officer."

"I will never see the inside of a prison cell."

"Not my concern. Now we only have to find your boss."

"He is already gone. He will not allow you to find him."

"Oh really? Then why aren't you with him?"

"I will say nothing else."

"Fine by me. I was actually wondering when you would decide to shut your mouth. I had about gotten tired of you and your cocky attitude. Eric, I'll take this one back. I think you'll be able to handle Calleigh, won't you?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Okay, lovebird. Your Juliet's heading this way." Eric narrows his eyes in a glare. Jesse chuckles and leads Rivkin away. Calleigh stops in front of Eric. He turns to her.

"I don't know if you saw, but we got the guy."

"I saw. Thank you."

"You're welcome. What do you say to going home?"

"Sounds good. I'll call Horatio and tell him I'm calling it a day."

"Wow."

"What?"

"Never thought I would hear those words come out of your lips."

"Your point?"

"You're so dedicated to work that most things that happen don't even slow you down."

"Well, in the past year or so, I've been to hospitals more times than I care to count."

"I know. More importantly, I understand." Calleigh smiles.

"Thank you. Can we go home now?"

"Sure."


	14. Conclusion?

**Hunting Down a Coward  
**

**A/N: Well, it's finally here. The last chapter of Seminole Wind. I sincerely apologize for how long it took to get here, and throw myself upon your mercy. I would like to thank babygurl1944, DreamerChild88, phinalphantasy, ladyd10, petlovers4ever, Ncisfan1294, HoratioCraver101, and 92 for your reviews and support. Y'all stuck with this story throughout my struggles, whether it be creatively or structurally. Also, many thanks to all those who read and favorited the story. This was my longest story, to date, and also my most popular. I mean, to date, I have had 3,490 hits, 10 favorites, and 13 alerts (and counting) for Seminole Wind. To all of you who have come upon this story, no matter where in the world you are, I am entirely in your debt. The wedding chapter will most likely be next.**

Jesse brings Rivkin into an interrogation room. He has Rivkin sit down, placing him in a chair, gripping Rivkin by his injured arm on purpose. Rivkin winces as he settles into the chair.

"What's the matter, Rivkin? Did that hurt?"

"Well, yes. I was shot in that arm, in case you didn't know."

"Actually, I did know. You were shot after attempting to escape from Miami-Dade officers, which caused the death of Ron Saris, and the shootings of two officers tasked with escorting you, and also the shooting of CSI Duquesne. Something else I know is that you are in some serious trouble. We've got you on everything from assualt with a deadly weapon to murder. We found your gun. Should have ditched it before you checked into that motel. As we speak, it's being tested to match the bullet that was retrieved from CSI Duquesne. There's only one thing I want know: where your boss is."

"Who?"

"Don't you dare play dumb with me. I want Director David. We have him on video giving you the key you used to escape your restraints. The same key we later recovered. We know he helped you escape. Now all I care about is finding him."

"Good luck with that."

"Not one to want to talk, huh? That's okay. I'll just let NCIS bust you. You know, federal charges are a pain to get out of."

"Speaking from personal experience?"

"Good one. I don't think you understand the seriousness of your situation. Right now, with the evidence that has been collected, you probably will be charged with committing terrorist acts on U.S. soil. I'm sure people will love that. Best of all, it'll be in federal court, not state."

"Doubtful. I'll never face trial for anything."

"Heh."

"What?"

"Do you know what happened to the last guy who said that?"

"No."

"You killed him. So, you may not face a human jury, but you will be judged."

"And you as well. No matter what you may say, if I haved committed crimes, then you yourself have done the same. After all, I was just following orders."

"Don't you dare put me on the same level as you. 'Following orders', my ass. Did your orders say anything about committing murder? Or attempting to?"

"That was training."

"You're lying again. You murdered a man who was in shackles. Doesn't sound like someone needing the Mossad assassination treatment."

"I do not care how you spin it. I will never see the inside of a courtroom." Jesse just turns and walks out of the interrogation room.

"What's the plan, Agent Gibbs?"

"I'm going to see if we can't switch the warrant to one for his arrest, not just one to send him out fo the country. Also, Tobias, could you put out a broadcast for Director David? I'll have one put out for NCIS, if you'll do that."

"My pleasure."

"You know, if you're getting an arrest warrant for Rivkin, we can use that to trap Director David. We put the word out to the media that we have arrested this guy for terrorist activities, and for citizens to be on the lookout for the man we believe to be his co-conspirator."

"Interesting idea, Jesse. Will it work?"

"We have to try it first."

"Well, actually, we have to get an arrest warrant first."

"How's that going, Boss?"

"It's going, DiNozzo." Then a fax machine lights up, and the paper in question is received.

"Looks like we got our warrant. Let's get our prisoner."

"For the first time in my life, I don't mind saying that the prisoner is all yours, lady and gentlemen."

"Lieutenant Caine, we will be glad to take it from here."

"It's been an interesting, Special Agent Gibbs. If your team is ever in Miami again, don't hesitate to call."

"We'll keep that in mind." And with that, Michael Rivkin was hauled away to D.C., found guilty, and sent off somewhere to rot. No one from the NCIS team knows where Rivkin was sent, nor did they care, just that it was somewhere he'd never get free from. Before that, though, they managed to find Director David and lock him up with no key. All that was left for both teams was paperwork.


End file.
